Estrada posts bail, avoids arrest

The first Philippine president to be impeached broke new ground again yesterday, becoming the first former chief executive to be ordered arrested for corruption.

Joseph Estrada surrendered to the Sandiganbayan two hours after the anti-graft court issued warrants for his arrest on charges of corruption and perjury.

His entourage struggled to shield Estrada from ca-meras as he was fingerprinted. He submitted mug shots and was allowed to post P30,000 bail for corruption and P10,000 for perjury for his temporary freedom.

The disgraced former president, who earlier said he was ready for jail, was escorted by police and his lawyers when he gave himself up to sheriff Edgardo Urrieta at around 4:45 p.m. at the Sandiganbayan building along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

His arraignment on the two charges is on May 17. Estrada is expected to plead not guilty.

For more than an hour, the barong-clad former pre-sident had to walk from one courtroom to another to post bail for other offenses that have been filed against him.

Estrada’s lawyers said a total of 150,000 was posted to cover the other bailable offenses and spare the disgraced president further indignities.

"Nobody is above the law," said Justice Narciso Nario, referring to the first time a warrant of arrest was ever issued to a former Philippine president. "We have to bring to court anybody who violates the law whether he is the most powerful man in the country or the lowliest laborer in the country," added Nario, who issued the arrest orders.

On the prodding of Estrada, his lawyers, former Chief Justice Andres Narvasa and Cleofe Verzola, tried to persuade Nario’s clerk of court to conduct the bail posting inside Urrieta’s office but the clerk gently declined on the orders of Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Francis Garchitorena.

Another Estrada lawyer, Jose Flaminiano, said there was no other way but for the former president to go through the normal procedure.

"We have to follow the procedure. We will do everything we can to protect the rights of (former) President Estrada," Flaminiano said.

"(But) we have so many remedies. We are keeping our options open. We do not want to communicate our moves at this time," he added. Another Estrada lawyer, Raymund Fortun, said in an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel said the Estrada legal team advised Estrada to submit himself to the jurisdiction of the court because it was "more regal."

Estrada family unfazed by raps

The Estrada family also claimed to be unfazed by the arrest warrants and the six other charges pending before the Sandiganbayan against him, including the capital offense of plunder, which is non-bailable.

"It’s a bailable offense anyway," said Estrada’s son, San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada, in a telephone interview.

"Our family is doing fine and we will just have to discuss with our lawyers what legal steps we can undertake," Jinggoy added, laughing off reports that his father would be sent to jail after the Sandiganbayan issued the arrest warrants against him.

Jinggoy said his father was at home in Greenhills, San Juan and appeared relaxed when he heard the news.

"He was even smiling when I talked to him about the case," he said.

Fortun also confirmed the former president and his family took the news calmly.

"He’s okay. He’s prepared. I’m really relatively confident that truth and justice will prevail in the end," Fortun said.

Fortun said Estrada had been expecting the arrest for a week and had been afraid the arrest warrants would be issued on April 13, Good Friday, a public holiday.

"We have expected this to happen since last week," Fortun said.

Estrada, who turns 64 on Thursday, was greeted by about 30 impoverished supporters outside his posh home in Greenhills, San Juan while another 30 awaited him at the Sandiganbayan offices.

"We’ll go to jail with him. We will give our lives to him, including that of my grandson," said Milagros Galiano, a 56-year-old vendor holding an eight-year-old child.

The Sandiganbayan earlier issued arrest warrants against Estrada for allegedly skimming P130 million in tobacco taxes and for perjury for allegedly misdeclaring assets and liabilities of $700,000 in 1999.

Also ordered arrested were Estrada’s estranged buddy Charlie "Atong" Ang and his employees Delia Rajas, Eleuterio Tan and Alma Alfaro.

Estrada was indicted on April 4 on charges that he pocketed P4 billion in kickbacks and payoffs during his 31 months in office.

Meanwhile, the pro-Estrada coalition Puwersa ng Masa (PM) called for sobriety as they allegedly received reports that Estrada supporters are mobilizing a series of mass actions following Estrada’s surrender.

PM spokesman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Mrs. Arroyo must "take full responsibility" should the economy further deteriorate as a result of her administration’s "concerted effort to jail Estrada over fabricated charges."

In an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel, Remulla lamented the fast pace of the Arroyo administration’s prosecution of the Estrada cases.

"It appears the government is unduly quickening the prosecution of Estrada although there are other bigger cases," Remulla said.

But Palace officials said they were not so much worried over the economy but by speculations that Estrada would do an "Enrile" and court public sympathy by having himself arrested.

Presidential chief of staff Renato Corona said officials had earlier feared Estrada would follow the moves of Enrile, who was arrested in 1987 for allegedly masterminding coup attempts against former President Corazon Aquino.

Enrile was detained in Camp Karingal in Quezon City but was later ordered released when the Supreme Court dismissed the charges against him.

"He (Estrada) does not have to spend a single night in jail," Corona said. "If he insists on not posting bail and spending a night in jail, that is obviously a publicity stunt," he said.

However, the administration’s People Power Coalition (PPC) said the Sandiganbayan orders "paved the way for the supremacy of justice."

"Since Mr. Estrada was served with perjury and anti-graft charges by the Sandiganbayan that are both bailable, next time he won’t get away with plunder because he can no longer post bail," said senatorial candidate Juan Flavier. — With reports from Marichu Villanueva, Non Alquitran, Aurea Calica, Efren Danao