Estrada impeachment trial starts; ally defects

And prosecutors have said mistresses of Estrada, a self-confessed womaniser, will be summoned to testify about the funding of the luxury houses they are said to be living in.

In a historic session attended by foreign diplomats, Senate members donned black robes to lend the event an air of solemnity and converted themselves into a tribunal to judge the former movie star.

Apparently rented in haste, some of the robes looked either too small or too large for some of the senators.

The trial proper, when prosecutors start presenting evidence, is to begin in early December. Estrada has said he is innocent of the charges and vowed to clear his name.

“I will accept whatever is the verdict of the Senate,” Estrada told reporters. “Nobody’s above the Constitution. Nobody’s above the law. I leave my fate to God and to the judgment of the Senate.”

Earlier, Tatad announced his defection from Estrada’s coalition, but stressed he was not joining the opposition.

“I will vote to convict if the prosecutors succeed inproving their case. I will vote to acquit if they fail to do so. Until that happens, I will not know what my vote will be,” he said.

A two-thirds vote in the 22-member Senate — or at least 15– is required to convict and remove Estrada from office.

Tatad is the seventh member of the President’s coalition to defect since the bribery scandal broke last month.

The desertion reduces the number of senators in the coalition to seven, which means Estrada would need at least one other vote to survive.

Along with Tatad, four others are believed to be independent while 10 are thought to be with the opposition.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, the trial’s presiding officer, promptly ordered the sergeant at arms to deliver a formal summons to Estrada ordering him to answer the charges within 10 days. A presidential aide received it for him.

Estrada is charged with bribery, corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

Some lawmakers say the trial, with sessions held five days a week, could last for months, but Senate President Aquilino Pimentel said he wanted “the nightmare” over in a month.

Vice-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a political rival, has led the campaign against Estrada with the support of scores of lawmakers, the powerful Catholic church, big business, trade unions and former president Corazon Aquino.

The prosecution will be led by 11 Congressmen from the House of Representatives, and panelists said beside the gambling payoffs scandal they would bring up allegations of illegal wealth accumulation by women who have reportedly mothered children by Estrada.

Estrada has admitted having children out of wedlock. Newspaper reports suggest the number could be as high as 10 and say the President is still close to many of the mothers.

Estrada has denied buying the women lavish homes and asked Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim to investigate into the allegations.

Asked about plans to force the women to testify before the Senate, Estrada said, “If it is necessary. But the plan is to only humiliate me. So why include them? I am the accused here. Let it just be me.”