‘Estrada not keen on regaining presidency’

Forget the presidency, just give him better detention facilities.

Jailed former President Joseph Estrada is "not inte-rested" in regaining the presidency and just wants relief from conditions in the "dungeon" where he is detained, one of his lawyers said yesterday.

Raymund Fortun, in a telephone interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, said his client "was not interested in the call to be reinstated as president" and was merely asking for fair treatment.

"He’s really in a dungeon right now, that’s all I can say," Fortun said, referring to the detention center of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Estrada had complained of the defective air-conditioning and bad food served in his 20-square-meter cell, which has a folding cot and toilet but no telephone or television.

Lawyer Jesus Crispin Remulla, spokesman for the pro-Estrada Puwersa ng Masa-Lakas ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PnM-LDP) coalition, confirmed that Estrada was not interested in regaining the presidency.

"The (former) president has no intention of regaining power. I’m sure of that," Remulla said in a telephone interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Estrada himself said so when they met at Camp Crame late last Thursday, Remulla could not specify what exactly the Estrada camp wanted from the government.

"This (EDSA rally) was very spontaneous. We were not ready for this," Remulla said, adding that Estrada’s allies would come up with their demands within 24 hours.

For his part, former Executive Secretary and PnM-LDP senatorial candidate Edgardo Angara called yesterday for a dialogue with the government to ease the political tension.

"I hope the administration will reach out instead of displaying arrogance of power that provokes anger everywhere. I hope cooler heads will come together and discuss things, rather than keep distances and make miscalculations that could aggravate things," Angara said.

At the same time, Angara discouraged Estrada loyalists from marching to Camp Crame to free Estrada, saying that while Estrada’s arrest may be irregular, people should not try to spring Estrada from prison because that would be against the law.

Angara also asked Estrada loyalists not to respond to "acts of provocation from hostile forces to preserve the peace and order in the protest."

He said the loyalists should prevent the occurrence of violence because peace and order within the ranks of protesters would ensure the continuity of the protest action.

Interior Secretary Jose Lina, however, denied that the arrest Wednesday was irregular, stressing it was made with Estrada’s personal security in mind.

The police were only forced to disperse the protesters outside Estrada’s house at North Greenhills, San Juan when the mob started defying and assaulting policemen.

"Estrada’s supporters were so rowdy that even former (Interior) Secretary Ronaldo Puno admitted to me that they, themselves, could not control the crowd," Lina said, relating his talks with Puno before Estrada’s arrest.

"Bahala na kayo, sabi niya. (You take care of it, he said)," Lina quoted Puno as saying.

Loyalists dispersed from Estrada’s Greenhills residence proceeded to the EDSA Shrine, 500 meters from Camp Crame where Estrada was jailed.

The loyalists have been steadily streaming to the EDSA Shrine since then to protest Estrada’s arrest, and asked for President Arroyo’s resignation and that Estrada be re-installed in office.

Loyalists rally for 3rd day

Police estimated that the Estrada loyalists numbered more than 50,000 late Thursday but thinned to a few thousand by daybreak on Friday.

Estrada loyalists started gathering at the EDSA Shrine only hours after Estrada was arrested on Wednesday for economic plunder and brought to Camp Crame for detention.

The Estrada’s loyalists trooped to the Roman Catholic shrine for an all-night rally to call for President Arroyo’s resignation and Estrada’s return to the presidency.

Hundreds of riot police guarded the perimeter of Estrada’s detention cell while at least 1,000 more policemen took positions outside Camp Crame before dawn yesterday.

Chief Inspector Noli Romana said about 100 policemen monitored the rally at the litter-strewn shrine.

"We see some protesters trickling in and we’re ready in case it does grow. There’ll be no problem for us," said Romana, stressing that the rally was peaceful throughout the night.

Romana said about 3,000 people remained at the Shrine yesterday morning but the others pledged to return after a nap and a change of clothes to rejoin the rally led by Estrada allies.

Estrada, in a statement from his cell on Thursday, encouraged the protesters and said he prayed the gathering would remain peaceful.

"Don’t worry about me here in jail because I remain strong. I’m stronger and firm in my conviction because of you," Estrada said.

The disgraced former president continued to receive a steady stream of visitors at the detention center, including political allies and old friends from show business.

Estrada’s lawyers tried on Thursday to get him released and placed under house arrest but the Sandiganbayan yesterday permitted police to transfer the retired actor to another detention facility should violence break out at the EDSA Shrine.

Estrada loyalists in Davao City also held a march rally to protest the arrest and detention of their idol.

But unlike their counterparts at the EDSA Shrine, the loyalists in Davao secured a permit from Davao Mayor Benjamin de Guzman.

The loyalists, carrying placards bearing the ousted leader’s picture, demanded Estrada’s release and return to power and converged at the flyover in Agdao District before proceeding to Rizal Park where pro-Estrada local candidates held a campaign rally.

Standing by Estrada

Estrada’s political allies have helped "build" the crowd of Estrada loyalists, mostly poor folk, at the EDSA Shrine by trucking them to the shrine.

Among them is former Caloocan Rep. Luis "Baby" Asistio who allegedly provided buses to transport the die-hards to the shrine.

He also deplored the manner of Estrada’s arrest and demanded that "small privileges" be granted Estrada while in detention.

"Show them what is due to a former president, who, despite numerous charges hurled against him, has been calm and obedient to the laws of the land," Asistio said.

Asistio vowed to continue supporting Estrada loyalists at the EDSA Shrine "until real justice is given to President Estrada."

Another Estrada ally is Cavite Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Ayong Maliksi who allegedly promised several Cavite residents P500 each to display Maliksi’s banners at the EDSA Shrine.

"They initially said Congressman (Maliksi) would give us P500. Then, they said it would be P300. Finally, they gave us only P100," said a certain Felicita Reyes of Barangay San Marino, Paliparan in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Catholic lay evangelist Mariano "Brother Mike" Velarde, who heads the El Shaddai Catholic charismatic group which is also closely identified with Estrada, has reportedly shepherded his flock to help swell the number of demonstrators at the EDSA Shrine.

Velarde spokesman Mel Robles, however, said Velarde has not appeared at the pro-Estrada rally and is in Tagaytay City in Cavite to attend to El Shaddai business.

Robles said Velarde so far has no plans of holding any rally to ask the Arroyo administration to reconsider its decision regarding Estrada. — Efren Danao, Eduth Regalado, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jerry Botial, Sandy Araneta, Nikko Dizon