Philippine President Joseph Estrada Saturday hit back at opposition efforts to discredit him and declared himself eager to face trial by the Senate over allegations of corruption.
But at the same time, a key ally of the embattled president hinted that lawyers could mount a Supreme Court challenge over the House of Representatives adoption of a motion to impeach him.
Speaking on his weekly radio show, Estrada accused "selfish businessmen and opportunistic politicians" of making "baseless accusations" against him and plunging the country into crisis.
"I am thankful that Congress has acted at last," Estrada said, reiterating that he would welcome the trial scheduled to start on December 7 as a chance to clear his name.
"I have long been waiting for this since the accusations first surfaced against me. At last, I will have a chance in the proper forum to reveal the whole truth," Estrada said.
He also appealed to the public to respect the legal proceedings and to accept any decision from the Senate trial.
The impeachment proceedings stem from an accusation by a former Estrada friend, provincial governor Luis Singson, that the president received huge payoffs from illegal gambling bosses and skimmed off government funds.
This has led to a growing clamor from the church, businessmen, activists and civic groups for Estrada's resignation.
However the president has refused to resign, saying he is confident the Senate trial will vindicate him.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives speedily passed an impeachment motion with then-house speaker Manuel Villar quickly reading out the order, ignoring efforts by pro-Estrada congressmen to question the motion.
Villar's swift reading of the order effectively derailed alleged plans of Estrada allies to delay the start of the Senate trial by first unseating Villar as house speaker.
After the impeachment motion was passed, Villar was replaced as house speaker by congressman Arnulfo Fuentabella.
Speaking on Estrada's radio show, pro-Estrada legislator Didagen Dilangalen said what Villar did "was really wrong, against the rules and unconstitutional."
The approval of the impeachment motion should have been passed first in the House committee on justice before it could be passed in a plenary session, the congressman said.
Dilangalen said "we could question the procedure taken by the speaker (Villar)" and warned that Estrada's lawyers could take the issue to court.
The congressman said that even if Estrada expressed a desire for a swift impeachment trial, they could not ignore the issue. "Are we going to sacrifice the constitutional procedure just because the president is rushing?"
Dilangalen however said he would await the actions of Estrada's lawyers and would not bring the issue to court himself since he was already suspected of trying to delay the case.
Fuentabella said the House of Representatives would not try to recall the impeachment motion but would also not prevent anyone else from questioning it in court.
Meanwhile, the opposition Lakas (Strength) party said in a statement that Estrada could be planning a crackdown on forces seeking his ouster.
Lakas congressman Roilo Golez, one of the leaders of the legislators seeking Estrada's ouster, cited a recent remark by the police that they were monitoring the movements of activists to guard against possible sedition.
"There is only a thin ... line that separates police action to protect the state (from) police action to shield a rather unpopular leadership from impending downfall," the statement quoted Golez as saying -- MANILA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
