World

Filipinos Strike Against President

October 18, 2000 / 10:53 PM EDT / AP

An unusual alliance of left-wing workers and conservative business groups held a general strike Tuesday against President Joseph Estrada, who faces a Senate impeachment trial for corruption charges.

The House of Representatives sent the impeachment charges to the Senate on Monday. But business groups and workers called on Estrada to resign, fearing a prolonged trial will further damage the economy.

Tens of thousands of militant laborers, students and transport workers went on strike and joined protests in key cities, forcing many schools to suspend classes and offices to close.

About 30,000 people joined street protests in central Bacolod city, organizers said. Streets were empty in Davao, a bustling southern port city, as many office workers chose to stay home.

More than 20,000 labor and student activists gathered late Tuesday near the presidential palace in Manila, carrying banners and burning effigies of Estrada. Many stayed into the night for a vigil.

In the financial districts, brokers and analysts in black shirts and arm bands walked off trading floors about 30 minutes before the markets closed, clapping their hands and chanting, "Erap resign," using the president's popular nickname. They briefly joined protesters in the street.

"We want to send the message that we are mourning what is happening in our country," said stock exchange Gov. Vivien Yuchengco.

Fears of political instability generated by the scandal have caused the country's currency, the peso, and its stock market to plunge, although both rose slightly Tuesday on bargain-hunting.

Estrada and other officials tried to discourage Tuesday's strike.

"He finds it unfortunate because ... he has already made it very clear that he is not going to resign and that he will go through the impeachment process," Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said.

A provincial governor testified last month that he had given the president more than $10 million in illegal gambling payoffs and tobacco taxes. Estrada is the first Philippine president to be impeached, although motions were raised against four others, including former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

There was no formal vote on impeachment by the full House, as had been expected Monday. House Speaker Manuel Villar said it was unnecessary because more than the required one-third of the 218 members had signed a petition endorsing the impeachment.

It was unclear, however, whether the process fulfilled the legal requirements for impeachment. At least one lawmaker, Assistant Majority Leader Gilbert Teodoro, said the Senate might reject the complaint because of procedural flaws.

The Senate is working to draft impeachment rules, based on those used by the U.S. Senate during President Clinton's impeachment trial.

Newly elected Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he had ordered Senate lawyers to start reviewing and summarizing the 270-page articles of impeachment forwarded by the House.

Pimenel said the chamber would try to finish the trial next month, although many worry it could drag beyond the end of the year.

Estrada has acknowledged that his old friend, Gov. Luis Singson of Ilocos Sur province, offered him a bribe. Estrada said he refused it.

Singson testified to Congress that the president had asked him to coordinate the nationwide collection of payoffs from an illegal numbers game called jueteng. He said he personally gave Estrada more than $8 million from jueteng and $2.6 million from provincial tobacco taxes.