Prosecutors to call mistresses, after all

Now, the other women in President Estrada’s life may be forced to take the hot seat and expose themselves to a "humiliating ordeal."

The prosecution in Mr. Estrada’s impeachment trial decided yesterday to have presidential mistresses summoned to shed light on several mansions they and the Chief Executive allegedly own.

Lakas Rep. Oscar Moreno of Misamis Oriental, one of the 11 prosecutors, told a news conference that the President’s "vigorous objection" to the prosecution’s motion for the inspection of the mansions "leaves us no choice but to call in the mistresses to testify in the impeachment trial."

"We would have preferred the taking of depositions on these ladies instead of asking them to testify in open court in order to spare them and their respective families from the glare of media which would be overly humiliating," he said.

"But by vehemently blocking our motion, the President clearly showed that he has many things to hide, and that he would suppress the evidence even at the expense of exposing his mistresses to scrutiny and even ignominy," he added.

Moreno is part of the prosecution team led by Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo that is handling the bribery charge and another offense related to the mansions and other alleged illegal wealth of the President.

Arroyo said the appearance of Mr. Estrada’s mistresses in the trial would be "more painful, embarrassing and damaging to the President and his families."

"Once they testify, they can be asked any questions about the mansions and their relationship to the President," he said.

The decision of the Arroyo team to have the mistresses summoned was supported by the entire prosecution panel led by House Minority Leader Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (Lakas, Quezon City), who revealed on Monday that vital evidence in the mansions was being tampered with.

Moreno said the "other ladies" who will be summoned are those for whose beneficial ownership the palatial residences were reportedly acquired by Mr. Estrada’s friends.

Specifically, these are Laarni Enriquez, Guia Gomez, Joy Melendrez and Rowena Lopez, he said.

He said the motions for the issuance of subpoenas for these "hostile" witnesses will be presented at the proper time.

According to articles written by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), a mansion with a floor area of 2,800 square meters is being built for Enriquez on a 5,000-square-meter lot in Wack Wack subdivision in Mandaluyong City.

The architectural plans for the mansion are in the name of Enriquez and clearly indicate the bedrooms of her and Mr. Estrada’s three children.

Melendrez is occupying a huge house in Greenmeadows Subdivision in Quezon City, while Lopez has a sprawling residence in Marina Bay Village in Parañaque. Gomez is residing in San Juan.

Commenting on the statement of defense lawyers that any attempt to summon the mistresses would be dilatory, Moreno said it is the President’s vigorous opposition to the prosecution’s motions that would delay his trial.

"He has been saying he is innocent, that he has nothing to hide. Why is he blocking the inspection of the mansions and the taking of his other ladies’ depositions?" he asked.

Moreno said although the Senate has only deferred action on the prosecution’s ocular inspection proposal, prosecutors have been informed that Mr. Estrada’s lawyers would block any motion that has to do with the mansions and their occupants.

For his part, Senior Deputy Minority Leader Sergio Apostol (Lakas, Leyte), also a member of the prosecution panel, said the fact that Mr. Estrada is against the inspection of the mansions "proves that he is the owner of these properties."

"He is invoking the right to privacy. Who can invoke that? Only the property owner," said Apostol.

In a related development, Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas (LAMP, Ilocos Norte), chairman of the House justice committee, told reporters yesterday that he would file with the Senate a motion for intervention so he could question the procedure the House followed in transmitting the impeachment case to the Senate.

Reacting on Farinas’ plans, Moreno said: "Let him do what he wants to do. This is a free country."

However, he said the motion for intervention would go the way of Mr. Estrada’s motion to dismiss the impeachment charges against him, which the Senate has denied.