Opponents of Philippine President Joseph Estrada returned to the streets yesterday after prosecutors said a Senate impeachment court decision pointed to his likely acquittal on corruption charges.
The trial itself came to an abrupt halt a day after all 11 prosecutors resigned en masse. One of the 21 senator-judges also quit, throwing the case into further confusion and the country into deeper political turmoil.
But the capital Manila, scene of protests on Tuesday led by some of the personalities who helped trigger the 1986 "people power" revolt that swept dictator Ferdinand Marcos from power, was calm.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jaime Sin, one of the leading forces behind people power, denounced Estrada as "a disaster" and womaniser and demanded he resign.
"The time is up. Resign," he told 30,000 protesters in Manila. "The poor trusted you and you betrayed them. The businessman trusted you and you lied to them. The First Lady married you and you used many women.
"I said if he is elected president, he would be a disaster. Now, you see."
As night fell, the mood at rally sites noticeably more festive and less tense, with singing and live music between speeches. Police said the number of protesters where Sin was speaking near the Edsa shrine -- one of the rallying sites for the people power movement -- was down to 10,000-15,000 people.
Philippine Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who takes over should Estrada be convicted, issued a statement denouncing a plot, but named no names.
"I warn those plotting a civilian-military junta to take over the reins of government that the people will certainly oppose this and expose this as a naked attempt to grab power at all cost," she said in a press statement.
Former President Fidel Ramos branded his successor, charged with bribery and corruption, unfit to rule. "I call upon the FORCES [Federation of Retired Commissioned and Enlisted Soldiers]` which is the umbrella of at least 14 veterans, retired and enlisted personnel associations to which I belong, to join me and the people in the crusade for better governance and effective leadership which `Erap' Estrada cannot provide," he said.
Erap, or "buddy" in the Filipino language, is Estrada's nickname.
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said the military was neutral. "We will stay in the barracks and will not participate in the political scene. We will retain the neutrality of the military and we are having success in keeping the military neutral on the issue," he said.
The 11 prosecutors, drawn from the House of Representatives, resigned in protest against Tuesday's Senate decision to exclude bank records which they said showed Estrada amassed wealth.
Opposition Senator Serge Osmena quit for the same reason.
"What happened was a tragic event in the nation's quest for justice. It is clear that for us to participate further would lend credibility to what appears to be a charade," prosecutor Roan Libarios said.
National police chief General Panfilo Lacson said in a radio interview that extra police from the provinces had been deployed in Manila. "We are on a heightened alert," Lacson said.
He said freedom of expression was allowed, but not anarchy.
"We will not prevent people from conducting rallies but they should police their own ranks and and [they] must not violate the law," he said, adding that all police leave had been canceled.
Lacson said Estrada specifically ordered the police to secure Manila's elevated trains to prevent a repetition of Dec. 30 bomb attacks on one of the trains and other targets which killed 22 people and wounded more than 100.
Estrada called on the nation to shun violence. "Just like in any important trial ... you win some, you lose some," he said.
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