Estrada, sons caught in bribe scam

Estrada, sons caught in bribe scam
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

MANILA, OCT 11: A Philippine provincial governor who accused President Joseph Estrada of taking bribes from gambling bosses on Wednesday implicated the leader's two sons, some of his aides and ruling party senators in a deepening scandal.

Luis Singson made the fresh accusations at a public hearing in the Senate as Opposition members from the House of Representatives postponed a bid to impeach Estrada to Friday, saying they needed time to consolidate evidence.

"They (Opposition legislators) met earlier but could not come up with an airtight complaint that would stand scrutiny at the moment," said a spokesman for Heherson Alvarez, an Opposition member who is leading moves to unseat Estrada. The impeachment attempt was slated for Wednesday.

The scandal stems from accusations by Singson that the President received about 12 million dollars over two years in bribes from operators of `jueteng', a popular but illegal form of lottery.

Singson said he delivered the money to Estrada every fortnight, either personally at the presidential palace or by depositing it in bank accounts.

At the senate hearing on Wednesday, Singson submitted an affidavit along with a ledger detailing dates and amounts of alleged pay-offs to Estrada and other officials. The ledger was allegedly counter-checked by a certified public accountant Estrada provided Singson.

Among those named in the document were Estrada's legislative liaison officer Jaime Policarpio, presidential advisor Anton Prieto, Estrada's sons Jude and Jinggoy, and senators Tessie Oreta and John Osmena, both members of the President's Party of the Filipino Masses. Oreta and Osmena said at the hearing on Wednesday they were returning the checks they received.

Ex-presidential spokesman Fernando Barican and housing secretary Lenny de Jesus were also given `jueteng' money, Singson said. Bribes were also offered to the of the country's police force, although they declined, he added.

"President Estrada was strict, that is why we have a CPA (certified public accountant)," Singson said. "What I had collected, I gave it all to the President."

Earlier, Congressman Alvarez said there was "a prima facie case" for Estrada to be brought to trial. A third of the 200-member House of Representatives must support impeachment for a trial to proceed. If that happens, the 24-member Upper House, the Senate, acts as a tribunal with 16 votes needed for a conviction. Administration officials have said impeachment was unlikely, with Estrada allies in a majority in both houses of Congress:

Estrada aides on Tuesday blocked testimony by Singson.at a hearing by the House of Representatives' public order committee.

Estrada's chief aide, Ronaldo Zamora earlier on Wednesday said the President had been advised by senior aides to shrug off the allegations and focus on shoring up the economy after financial markets took a beating over the scandal.

"We told the President to focus attention in our national agenda and number one is the economy," Zamora said. "As a prudent individual (Estrada) is waiting for a full disclosure. What can you say except by way of general denial to what Governor Singson said?" Zamora asked DZMM radio.

Financial markets continued to slide on Wednesday over the political turmoil, with the peso falling to a new all-time low of 47.350 to the dollar in opening trade. Investors also dumped shares on the Philippine Stock Exchange, with the composite index down 0.4 percent to 1,326.26.

Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin, head of the church in the Philippines, called on Estrada to step down, saying he had lost the "moral ascendancy to govern."