Filipinos celebrate Erap’s ouster

It was initially intended to be a protest march in support of hundreds and thousands of their kababayans who trooped to the historic EDSA in suburb Mandaluyong City in the Philippines to call for the resignation of President Joseph Estrada.

But the Filipino community on Saipan ended up holding a prayer rally in celebration of the ouster of Mr. Estrada from the Philippine presidency only after a little over two years since he assumed the position following a landslide victory in 1998.

Filipinos on the island marched from the Kristo Rai Parish Church in South Garapan to the American Memorial Park Saturday night where they stopped and held a small program highlighted by prayers for their embattled country.

Those who attended the vigil signed a manifesto, praying that the gains obtained from the People Power or otherwise known as EDSA-2 may be preserved in the minds of the Filipino people who were present during the historic march and the future generation.

“We pray for unity and reconciliation with justice in our country; We pray for the immediate economic recovery in the country,” the Concerned Filipino Workers of the CNMI manifested.

The workers initially organized the prayer rally to protest Mr. Estrada’s continued stay in power but later turned it into a prayer of celebration when the president stepped out of Malacanang Palace hours before their scheduled march. (See related story on page 14)

“It would have worked either way. We wanted to show our countrymen here in the CNMI that we should also involved ourselves in everything that transpires in the Philippines. Our being away from home is not an excuse, it will never be an excuse,” said Eli Arago, one of those who helped organize the prayer rally.

Mr. Estrada resigned at 12nn Saturday after the military and police abandoned him following three months of allegations that he had stashed away tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks and bribes. He denies the charges.

Mr. Estrada was elected in May 1998 with 40 percent of the vote with eight opponents splitting the rest. The backbone of his support came from the poverty-stricken in a nation with a minimum wage of just less than $5 a day.

His support among the poor has likely dwindled after a six-week impeachment trial that outlined the charges. But it was still strong at the outset of the trial that began Dec. 7.

A Social Weather Stations poll taken in the following 10 days said 44 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with him while 35 percent said they were dissatisfied.

“Today is a sad day,” said disheartened Bobby Primavera, a 38-year-old cook who leaned against the police barricade while Estrada’s detractors chanted yards away. “A lot of people in the provinces will be very, very angry.”

Anthony Mercadel, a 24-year-old merchant sailor from the poor southern region of Mindanao, said he doesn’t trust the well-groomed and moneyed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the vice president who was sworn in Saturday to succeed Estrada.

“She won’t do anything for the poor,” Mr. Mercadel said of Macapagal-Arroyo, a former economics professor who has promised to increase the role of the poor in decision-making. “These people against Erap think they’re the majority. They’re the majority only in Manila.”

As he spoke, a young man beside him angrily shouted “Gloria Resign!” at nearby Estrada detractors, drawing a finger across his throat in threat.

Estrada’s opponents, however, point out that inflation jumped, the peso fell and the poor became even poorer during his term that began in 1998 and wasn’t scheduled to end until 2004. He was widely criticized for late-night drinking sessions, frequent visits to his mistresses and a hands-off approach to his Cabinet.

“He has severely damaged our nation and it will take a long time to start to repair it,” said J.V. Javier, a 26-year-old architect on the anti-Estrada side of Saturday’s barrier. (Saipan Tribune with reports from the Associated Press)