Estrada hits back at Espiritu

President Estrada lashed at newly resigned Finance Secretary Edgardo Espiritu and Transportation Undersecretary Josefina Lichauco yesterday for failing to check graft in their respective agencies.

The two had recently submitted their irrevocable resignations after having seen how rampant corruption is in their departments.

Mr. Estrada said these two officials should have acted on such wrongdoings instead of complaining about it.

"It was their duty to control or eradicate graft and corruption," the President said. "Why didn't they do it?"

Espiritu said the "culture of corruption" in his agency was the reason why he resigned, while Lichauco expressed "very deep disappointments" in her department.

Actually, the former finance chief said certain "people without accountabilities" have been unduly exerting influence over major government decisions.

To this, Mr. Estrada renewed his order to all public servants to report these acts.

"If anyone approaches you and drops my name, do not fear them. Report him to your department heads, who I hereby order to transmit these reports directly to me," Mr. Estrada said.

"And to my relatives and friends, I ask you not to abuse our relationship or our friendship. When you drop my name, you drag me down. If that is what you want to do to me, I will disown you. If you don't respect my name, I won't consider you as my friends and relatives," he added.

Mr. Estrada's net approval rating went down to an alarmingly low five percent, according to results of a December 1999 survey of the Social Weather Stations Inc. (SWS).

The SWS noted the declining trend in October 1999, when the President's rating plummeted to 56 percent in September-October from 78 percent in June.

The percentage of respondents dissatisfied with the Chief Executive in September-October was 27 percent compared to 12 percent in June, the SWS said.

The survey group did not say what triggered the decline, but some lawmakers said smuggling as well as rampant graft and corruption were two of the major causes.

Meanwhile, a letter obtained by The STAR from a banker and addressed to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Gov. Rafael Buenaventura said Espiritu's resignation "has had minimal impact on the secondary market performance" on the country's external debts.

"In addition, the appointment of Jose Pardo as the new finance secretary is expected by many in the market to result in a more coordinated external debt strategy between the Department of Finance and the BSP," said Simon Paterno, managing director and head of investment banking of JP Morgan group in the Philippines. --