Estrada clears brod-in-law in P28-B land deal

President Estrada yesterday cleared his brother-in-law, former University of the Philippines professor Raul de Guzman, of any complicity in alleged lobby for the government to drop its claim on a P28-billion property in Las Piñas City which is being contested by a private individual.

At the same time, the President expressed displeasure over a move by Solicitor General Ricardo Galvez to amicably settle a land dispute between the government and a group of settlers over a portion of Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija.

In his weekly radio program, Mr. Estrada claimed that De Guzman, who is married to his elder sister Patrocinia, was "too good" to enter into transactions that were a sellout of the national patrimony.

Mr. Estrada lamented that his brother-in-law, who is his adviser for development administration, was being made a target of character assassination, and branded the accusations as "baseless" and "untrue."

The President said De Guzman was merely performing his official duties when his brother-in-law sent to him the questioned memorandum last Dec. 20.

In his memo to the Chief Executive, De Guzman recommended the recall of an order he issued to the Solicitor General to take steps to recover the P28-billion property which is the subject of a litigation still pending before the Supreme Court.

"He was merely advising me that I should not intervene in that land deal, and he told me I should respect the separation of powers because I might be accused again of intruding or encroaching (in) the power of the judiciary. There was no ill motive," Mr. Estrada said.