Estrada: Jueteng bribery charges a ‘hatchet job’ by my rivals
October 13, 2000 | 12:00am
He’s not resigning over a political hatchet job.
President Estrada branded yesterday as a "hatchet job" by the political opposition allegations by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson that he received nearly half a billion pesos in protection money from gambling lords.
The President denied the charges and rejected a call by Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin for him to step down.
However, the scandal aborted his plan to attend an Asia-Europe summit in South Korea next week.
He urged the public to uphold the Constitution and let him finish his six-year term which expires in 2004.
"A duly elected president cannot abandon the people’s will on the mere basis of what is obviously a politically motivated hatchet job," Mr. Estrada said.
Speaking on national television, Mr. Estrada said Singson, his former close friend, had so far offered little hard evidence to substantiate his accusations.
"I am confident that the investigation will eventually clear my name," the Chief Executive said. "I reiterate I have not received a single centavo from jueteng or whatever form of illegal gambling. My conscience is clean."
Addressing the Philippine Business Conference at the Manila Hotel, the President urged the businessmen to maintain their confidence in the local market.
Mr. Estrada said inflation and interest rates will remain stable and low, and pledged there will be "no surprises with respect to exercise of fiscal policy."
Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Angelito Banayo said quarters behind the hatchet job "have no qualms subjecting the country to grave risk as long as they achieve their objective."
Banayo pointed out that Singson came up with his charges after the President ordered a crackdown on illegal gambling.
"Why would he (Mr. Estrada) kill the goose that lays the golden eggs for him?" Banayo asked. "That defies logic, so it is clear as day that the charges lobbed at the President are fabrications and part of a hatchet job to bring him down."
Singson accused Mr. Estrada of receiving more than P400 million from jueteng operators since assuming the presidency in July 1998.
Testifying at separate hearings conducted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, Singson said he was used as bagman and negotiator with the jueteng operators.
Singson said he has so far collected P545 million since taking over the job from presidential friend and suspected gambling lord Charlie "Atong" Ang in October 1998.
Of this amount, Singson said he delivered some P400 million to the President, while the rest he kept in bank accounts.
Singson also said he delivered P130 million in kickback out of P200 million released by the budget department in tobacco excise tax for his province.
At the Senate hearing the other day, Singson submitted an affidavit accompanied by a ledger detailing the dates and amounts of the alleged payoffs he delivered to Mr. Estrada and other officials.
The ledgers were reportedly prepared by an accountant of Mr. Estrada designated to monitor jueteng payoffs, Singson said.
He said he was unhappy that the provincial franchise for Bingo 2-Ball which the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) was launching in a bid to eradicate jueteng was given to his relative and political rival, Eric Singson.
"I had wanted to come out with this (exposé) for a long time, but I could not because the President was my friend. It is hard to go against a powerful man. They will file cases against you. They will even try to kill you," Singson said.
The President described Singson’s evidence as "self-serving testimony of a self-confessed key player in illegal gambling," and called on the people not to jump to conclusions.
He said opposition legislators were pushing for his impeachment "for their own selfish political agenda."
"It is my conviction that the call for my impeachment or resignation is unfair as it is hasty. It preempts the present inquiries being conducted on the jueteng issue," Mr. Estrada said.
He hit back at Singson by accusing him of presenting "sweeping and baseless accusations" under oath in the congressional inquiries.
"We must uncover the truth based on facts and not just on sweeping and self-serving allegations," the President said.
Presidential son Joseph Victor "JV" Estrada lamented that Sin has found his father guilty without a fair trial.
"In my eyes, Cardinal Sin was beng too presumptuous when he asked President Estrada to resign only two years after being overwhelmingly elected by close to 20 million people," JV said in a statement.
"For those who have raised this issue and used it to further their long-desired ambitions, beware the wrath of the people. They are, after all, not as dumb as the elite believes," he added.
The jueteng scandal is considered the worst in a series of political crises to hit the Estrada administration.
In calling for Mr. Estrada’s resignation, Sin said the scandal has destroyed public trust in the government.
"He has lost the moral ascendancy to govern," the prelate said. "For the good of the people, he must relinquish his office."
Msgr. Oscar Cruz, former president of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said Mr. Estrada was losing the battle of credibility and should quit his post.
The jueteng scandal has whipped up a storm of protests as calls for the President to step down intensified.
The 40,000-strong Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), responding to Cardinal Sin’s call for the President’s resignation, urged Mr. Estrada to do some soul-searching to determine if his continued stay in office will be good for the country.
"We appeal to President Estrada to search his conscience, soul and heart, for only he and God know the real score," the lawyers’ group said in a statement.
IBP, headed by Arthur Lim as president, said resignation is enshrined in the Constitution. "Resignation is perfectly legal and constitutional."
The statement said, however, that the President should be afforded due process.
Several militant organizations also joined the chorus for Mr. Estrada"s resignation.
Among them were the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Sanlakas, September 21 Committee, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the Bangsa Moro Committee on Unity and Self-Determination, the Teachers and Employees Against Corruption and Hypocrisy (TEACH), the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the Kilusang Mayo Uno and the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP).
These groups also urged Sin to initiate a "people power" revolt to topple the Estrada administration in the same fashion that the EDSA uprising of 1986 ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Sin was among the key players in the EDSA uprising that brought an end to Marcos’ 20-year dictatorship.
PCPR secretary general Robert de Castro and Sanlakas president Rep. Renato Magtubo gave assurances that they will spearhead the movement to oust Mr. Estrada.
"We foresee civil disobedience leading to mass uprisings if Estrada refuses to step down, and if he will use the military to quell the popular unrest," De Castro said.
"The suffering Filipino people have no recourse but to revolt," he said.
"If Estrada is to step down for lack of moral ascendancy to govern, then for the same reason, (Vice President Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo and the opposition cannot be brought to power," Magtubo said.
In a press briefing in Quezon City, ACT and TEACH said they will launch on Oct. 21 a so-called "anti-corruption alliance" within the academe.
The teachers vowed to mobilize the "broadest number" of teachers and employees in the education sector to push for Mr. Estrada’s ouster.
"As teachers and employees in education, our lives are dedicated to imparting the right values to our students and teaching them to become responsible citizens. What future can we expect for them when the President of our country is also its biggest gambling lord?" ACT president Carol Almeda noted.
"We can no longer stomach the brazen criminality and gross corruption of President Joseph Estrada and his whole regime," she stressed.
The teachers also demanded the resignation of Education Secretary Andrew Gonzalez and other officials involved in the use of luxury vehicles donated by the state-run Land Bank of the Philippines.
For his part, BMP chairman Filemon Lagman called on other militant groups to join the movement. "Now that the broad coalition for the resignation of Erap Estrada is gathering steam under the leadership of Cardinal Sin and the Lakas-NUCD, we call on the militant groups to forge distinct movement demanding not just the ouster of Estrada, but the downfall of the system."
KMU chairman Crispin Beltran exhorted members of the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP) to resign from the party and "listen to the popular sentiment of the masses."
Meanwhile, some 100 leaders of various Muslim groups have passed a manifesto asking Mr. Estrada and his Cabinet members to step down and pave the way for snap elections.
"We believe that all Muslims and the faithfuls of other religions should not recognize a leader who has openly defied the moral code of the Philippines," lawyer Macapanton Abbas said.
He added that they support Singson’s crusade, saying the governor was "being used by Allah or God as an instrument to save the people from such evildoer."
Among the groups who signed the manifesto were the Association of Imams of the Philippines, Muslim Bar Association of the Philippines, Supreme Council of Ulama, Bangsa Moro Youth Independence Movement, Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Maranao Sultanates, Bangsa Moro National Congress, Islamic Directorate of the Philippines and the Ranao Radio Organizations.
The groups are set to stage an indignation rally in Marawi City tomorrow to denounce the jueteng scandal.
The Union for Fresh Leadership lashed out at administration congressmen for allegedly putting the gag on Singson during the House inquiry.
The controversy has also adversely affected the morale of the men and women of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
A random interview at Camp Crame showed that most policemen were disgusted by Malacañang’s handling of the scandal.
"It’s a quarrel among thieves that has blown out of proportion due to Malacañang’s undecisiveness," a police official said.
While most of those interviewed believed the veracity of Singson’s allegations, they said proving it was another matter.
Meanwhile, top PNP officials were reportedly plotting a counter-attack on Singson.
Sources said the group were merely awaiting the filing of charges against Singson to be able to arrest the governor.
PNP chief Director General Panfilo Lacson said the police force under his leadership remains steadfast behind the Constitution and the duly constituted authorities.
"The PNP shall not allow chaos and anarchy to rule the streets. We shall continue to enforce the law, maintain order and serve the greater interest of the people," Lacson said in a statement.
He urged all policemen to remain united and not to allow the developments affect their functions.
On the other hand, the political opposition is counting on the PNP to corroborate Singson’s charges of bribery and widespread corruption in government.
Isabela Rep. Heherson Alvarez, secretary general of the opposition Lakas-NUCD, said several police officers can testify and attest to the truthfulness of Singson’s charges against the President.
Alvarez said a high-profile police official knows the real score on the jueteng mess.
Alvarez and Bohol Rep. Ernesto Herrera are set to file this morning the impeachment charges against Mr. Estrada.
The complaints will include the Best World (BW) Resources scandal that rocked the stock market, and the alleged unexplained wealth of the First Family.
Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay Jr. may be called as witness for the BW stock market scandal.
Alvarez justified the delay in the filing of the impeachment raps by saying it was necessary to present a "no-nonsense" complaint.
He pointed out that the President has not presented a credible counter-charge against Singson.
Sen. Raul Roco said a strong national sentiment would force Congress to amend the Charter to set the stage for snap presidential elections.
"If the people are unhappy over the peace and order situation, the economy, and the ability of the administration to give a clear direction, then the administration will fail," Roco said.
Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo said the Palace cannot brush aside as mere scraps of paper the ledger offered by Singson to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Arroyo recalled that the quest for the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses started with a ledger that the late president left in Malacañang in their haste to leave at the height of the EDSA revolt.
The lawmaker also said the infamous Stonehill case in the 1960s was triggered by a blue book listing his beneficiaries, among them powerful government officials.
Former Bulacan Gov. Roberto Pagdanganan said Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta should also resign for accepting jueteng money from Singson.
In a statement, Pagdanganan said it was highly improbable that Oreta did not know that the P1.2 million Singson gave her in April last year came from gambling lords. – With reports from Delon Porcalla, Sandy Araneta, Liberty Dones, Efren Danao, Jess Diaz, Jaime Laude, Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago, Paolo Romero, Jaime Laude, Aurea Calica, Cecille Suerte-Felipe, Non Alquitran, Jose Rodel Clapano, Edith Regalado, Lino de la Cruz, Eva de Leon, AFP, AP
President Estrada branded yesterday as a "hatchet job" by the political opposition allegations by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson that he received nearly half a billion pesos in protection money from gambling lords.
The President denied the charges and rejected a call by Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin for him to step down.
However, the scandal aborted his plan to attend an Asia-Europe summit in South Korea next week.
He urged the public to uphold the Constitution and let him finish his six-year term which expires in 2004.
"A duly elected president cannot abandon the people’s will on the mere basis of what is obviously a politically motivated hatchet job," Mr. Estrada said.
Speaking on national television, Mr. Estrada said Singson, his former close friend, had so far offered little hard evidence to substantiate his accusations.
"I am confident that the investigation will eventually clear my name," the Chief Executive said. "I reiterate I have not received a single centavo from jueteng or whatever form of illegal gambling. My conscience is clean."
Addressing the Philippine Business Conference at the Manila Hotel, the President urged the businessmen to maintain their confidence in the local market.
Mr. Estrada said inflation and interest rates will remain stable and low, and pledged there will be "no surprises with respect to exercise of fiscal policy."
Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Angelito Banayo said quarters behind the hatchet job "have no qualms subjecting the country to grave risk as long as they achieve their objective."
Banayo pointed out that Singson came up with his charges after the President ordered a crackdown on illegal gambling.
"Why would he (Mr. Estrada) kill the goose that lays the golden eggs for him?" Banayo asked. "That defies logic, so it is clear as day that the charges lobbed at the President are fabrications and part of a hatchet job to bring him down."
Singson accused Mr. Estrada of receiving more than P400 million from jueteng operators since assuming the presidency in July 1998.
Testifying at separate hearings conducted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, Singson said he was used as bagman and negotiator with the jueteng operators.
Singson said he has so far collected P545 million since taking over the job from presidential friend and suspected gambling lord Charlie "Atong" Ang in October 1998.
Of this amount, Singson said he delivered some P400 million to the President, while the rest he kept in bank accounts.
Singson also said he delivered P130 million in kickback out of P200 million released by the budget department in tobacco excise tax for his province.
At the Senate hearing the other day, Singson submitted an affidavit accompanied by a ledger detailing the dates and amounts of the alleged payoffs he delivered to Mr. Estrada and other officials.
The ledgers were reportedly prepared by an accountant of Mr. Estrada designated to monitor jueteng payoffs, Singson said.
He said he was unhappy that the provincial franchise for Bingo 2-Ball which the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) was launching in a bid to eradicate jueteng was given to his relative and political rival, Eric Singson.
"I had wanted to come out with this (exposé) for a long time, but I could not because the President was my friend. It is hard to go against a powerful man. They will file cases against you. They will even try to kill you," Singson said.
The President described Singson’s evidence as "self-serving testimony of a self-confessed key player in illegal gambling," and called on the people not to jump to conclusions.
He said opposition legislators were pushing for his impeachment "for their own selfish political agenda."
"It is my conviction that the call for my impeachment or resignation is unfair as it is hasty. It preempts the present inquiries being conducted on the jueteng issue," Mr. Estrada said.
He hit back at Singson by accusing him of presenting "sweeping and baseless accusations" under oath in the congressional inquiries.
"We must uncover the truth based on facts and not just on sweeping and self-serving allegations," the President said.
Presidential son Joseph Victor "JV" Estrada lamented that Sin has found his father guilty without a fair trial.
"In my eyes, Cardinal Sin was beng too presumptuous when he asked President Estrada to resign only two years after being overwhelmingly elected by close to 20 million people," JV said in a statement.
"For those who have raised this issue and used it to further their long-desired ambitions, beware the wrath of the people. They are, after all, not as dumb as the elite believes," he added.
The jueteng scandal is considered the worst in a series of political crises to hit the Estrada administration.
In calling for Mr. Estrada’s resignation, Sin said the scandal has destroyed public trust in the government.
"He has lost the moral ascendancy to govern," the prelate said. "For the good of the people, he must relinquish his office."
Msgr. Oscar Cruz, former president of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said Mr. Estrada was losing the battle of credibility and should quit his post.
The 40,000-strong Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), responding to Cardinal Sin’s call for the President’s resignation, urged Mr. Estrada to do some soul-searching to determine if his continued stay in office will be good for the country.
"We appeal to President Estrada to search his conscience, soul and heart, for only he and God know the real score," the lawyers’ group said in a statement.
IBP, headed by Arthur Lim as president, said resignation is enshrined in the Constitution. "Resignation is perfectly legal and constitutional."
The statement said, however, that the President should be afforded due process.
Several militant organizations also joined the chorus for Mr. Estrada"s resignation.
Among them were the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Sanlakas, September 21 Committee, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the Bangsa Moro Committee on Unity and Self-Determination, the Teachers and Employees Against Corruption and Hypocrisy (TEACH), the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the Kilusang Mayo Uno and the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP).
These groups also urged Sin to initiate a "people power" revolt to topple the Estrada administration in the same fashion that the EDSA uprising of 1986 ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Sin was among the key players in the EDSA uprising that brought an end to Marcos’ 20-year dictatorship.
PCPR secretary general Robert de Castro and Sanlakas president Rep. Renato Magtubo gave assurances that they will spearhead the movement to oust Mr. Estrada.
"We foresee civil disobedience leading to mass uprisings if Estrada refuses to step down, and if he will use the military to quell the popular unrest," De Castro said.
"The suffering Filipino people have no recourse but to revolt," he said.
"If Estrada is to step down for lack of moral ascendancy to govern, then for the same reason, (Vice President Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo and the opposition cannot be brought to power," Magtubo said.
In a press briefing in Quezon City, ACT and TEACH said they will launch on Oct. 21 a so-called "anti-corruption alliance" within the academe.
The teachers vowed to mobilize the "broadest number" of teachers and employees in the education sector to push for Mr. Estrada’s ouster.
"As teachers and employees in education, our lives are dedicated to imparting the right values to our students and teaching them to become responsible citizens. What future can we expect for them when the President of our country is also its biggest gambling lord?" ACT president Carol Almeda noted.
"We can no longer stomach the brazen criminality and gross corruption of President Joseph Estrada and his whole regime," she stressed.
The teachers also demanded the resignation of Education Secretary Andrew Gonzalez and other officials involved in the use of luxury vehicles donated by the state-run Land Bank of the Philippines.
For his part, BMP chairman Filemon Lagman called on other militant groups to join the movement. "Now that the broad coalition for the resignation of Erap Estrada is gathering steam under the leadership of Cardinal Sin and the Lakas-NUCD, we call on the militant groups to forge distinct movement demanding not just the ouster of Estrada, but the downfall of the system."
KMU chairman Crispin Beltran exhorted members of the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP) to resign from the party and "listen to the popular sentiment of the masses."
Meanwhile, some 100 leaders of various Muslim groups have passed a manifesto asking Mr. Estrada and his Cabinet members to step down and pave the way for snap elections.
"We believe that all Muslims and the faithfuls of other religions should not recognize a leader who has openly defied the moral code of the Philippines," lawyer Macapanton Abbas said.
He added that they support Singson’s crusade, saying the governor was "being used by Allah or God as an instrument to save the people from such evildoer."
Among the groups who signed the manifesto were the Association of Imams of the Philippines, Muslim Bar Association of the Philippines, Supreme Council of Ulama, Bangsa Moro Youth Independence Movement, Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Maranao Sultanates, Bangsa Moro National Congress, Islamic Directorate of the Philippines and the Ranao Radio Organizations.
The groups are set to stage an indignation rally in Marawi City tomorrow to denounce the jueteng scandal.
The Union for Fresh Leadership lashed out at administration congressmen for allegedly putting the gag on Singson during the House inquiry.
The controversy has also adversely affected the morale of the men and women of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
A random interview at Camp Crame showed that most policemen were disgusted by Malacañang’s handling of the scandal.
"It’s a quarrel among thieves that has blown out of proportion due to Malacañang’s undecisiveness," a police official said.
While most of those interviewed believed the veracity of Singson’s allegations, they said proving it was another matter.
Meanwhile, top PNP officials were reportedly plotting a counter-attack on Singson.
Sources said the group were merely awaiting the filing of charges against Singson to be able to arrest the governor.
PNP chief Director General Panfilo Lacson said the police force under his leadership remains steadfast behind the Constitution and the duly constituted authorities.
"The PNP shall not allow chaos and anarchy to rule the streets. We shall continue to enforce the law, maintain order and serve the greater interest of the people," Lacson said in a statement.
He urged all policemen to remain united and not to allow the developments affect their functions.
On the other hand, the political opposition is counting on the PNP to corroborate Singson’s charges of bribery and widespread corruption in government.
Alvarez said a high-profile police official knows the real score on the jueteng mess.
Alvarez and Bohol Rep. Ernesto Herrera are set to file this morning the impeachment charges against Mr. Estrada.
The complaints will include the Best World (BW) Resources scandal that rocked the stock market, and the alleged unexplained wealth of the First Family.
Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay Jr. may be called as witness for the BW stock market scandal.
Alvarez justified the delay in the filing of the impeachment raps by saying it was necessary to present a "no-nonsense" complaint.
He pointed out that the President has not presented a credible counter-charge against Singson.
Sen. Raul Roco said a strong national sentiment would force Congress to amend the Charter to set the stage for snap presidential elections.
"If the people are unhappy over the peace and order situation, the economy, and the ability of the administration to give a clear direction, then the administration will fail," Roco said.
Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo said the Palace cannot brush aside as mere scraps of paper the ledger offered by Singson to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Arroyo recalled that the quest for the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses started with a ledger that the late president left in Malacañang in their haste to leave at the height of the EDSA revolt.
The lawmaker also said the infamous Stonehill case in the 1960s was triggered by a blue book listing his beneficiaries, among them powerful government officials.
Former Bulacan Gov. Roberto Pagdanganan said Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta should also resign for accepting jueteng money from Singson.
In a statement, Pagdanganan said it was highly improbable that Oreta did not know that the P1.2 million Singson gave her in April last year came from gambling lords. – With reports from Delon Porcalla, Sandy Araneta, Liberty Dones, Efren Danao, Jess Diaz, Jaime Laude, Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago, Paolo Romero, Jaime Laude, Aurea Calica, Cecille Suerte-Felipe, Non Alquitran, Jose Rodel Clapano, Edith Regalado, Lino de la Cruz, Eva de Leon, AFP, AP
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