Philippine Oppn files impeachment motion against Estrada

“We are interested in the truth,” Alvarez told reporters as the “complaint for impeachment” was filed. “We want to have it discussed not just in the House of Representatives, we want this thing to come out in the open and publicly discussed with the help of the Congress,” Alvarez said.

The complaint stemmed from allegations made by former Estrada friend, provincial governor Luis Singson, that the President pocketed more than 400 million pesos ($8.2 million) in bribes over two years from operators of Jueteng, an illegal form of lottery. The grounds for impeaching Estrada were based on charges of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and violation of the Constitution, opposition leaders said.

The opposition, however, does not have enough members in the House to push the impeachment bid through to the Senate for trial. Alvarez said only 41 members of the Lower House had signed the impeachment document, making it unlikely to succeed unless there were defections from ruling party legislators.

The charges will first be heard at the House’s committee on Justice to determine its merit. If more than one third of the 218-seat House of Representatives had backed the motion, it could have immediately resulted in a trial in the Senate.

Alvarez claimed the Presidential Palace applied “high-calibre pressure” on members of the Lower House, forcing many to opt out at the last minute. But he said, “We will use all Parliamentary rules available to us in the quest of truth.”

Estrada’s chief aide, Ronaldo Zamora, said the President had ignored mounting calls for him to resign and asked the public to adhere to the “constitutional processes”.

“He is in fighting form. He is determined to fight for himself. He is determined to answer all accusations hurled by the Opposition and Governor Singson,” Zamora said over radio station DZMM.

Zamora said the Presidential Palace welcomed the impeachment motion, stressing it would give the administration a chance to properly address the allegations.

He said the Opposition had yet to present “smoking gun” evidence that would stand up in court, and expressed confidence that Estrada’s name would be cleared. Estrada earlier branded the allegations a “politically-motivated hatchet job” by the Opposition, intent on ousting him two years into his six-year term.

The deepening political crisis has sent the financial markets into a tailspin and scared away potential investors, analysts said. It also led to the resignation of Vice-President Gloria Arroyo from Estrada’s Cabinet. The leader of the influential Roman Catholic church, Cardinal Jaime Sin, and ex-president Corazon Aquino have called on Estrada to step down while Arroyo has vowed to unite the opposition against the President.