PMAP: Shun violence on May 1

A leading supporter of deposed President Joseph Estrada urged his colleagues yesterday to avoid violence during protest actions next week to mark the first anniversary of the bloody Labor Day riots.

This developed as Malacañang gave assurances that the Estrada supporters would not be prevented from conducting their projected rallies and demonstrations on Wednesday.

Arnold Obina, spokesman for the pro-Estrada People’s Movement Against Poverty (PMAP), appealed to supporters to keep the May 1 demonstrations peaceful.

He also charged that Thursday’s arrest of PMAP president Ronald Lumbao was an attempt by President Arroyo to bait them.

"Let’s not resort to violence in ending this regime," Obina said. "Let’s use this as an inspiration to continue our fight."

At least four people died in the riots that erupted after an estimated 50,000 Estrada loyalists stormed Malacañang in an attempt to unseat Mrs. Arroyo, who took over the presidency after Estrada stepped down on Jan. 20 last year.

Estrada was ousted by a military-backed popular revolt triggered by a failed impeachment trial on massive corruption and plunder of the national economy.

Meanwhile, Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Teresa Soriaso granted a request by Lumbao for a re-investigation of the rebellion charge filed against him by state prosecutors.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said his office will conduct the new probe. "Lumbao will be given all the rights of a detention prisoner," he said.

The new inquiry will be handled by State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, the same fiscal who handled the original rebellion case filed in October last year against Lumbao.

Velasco maintained that he summoned Lumbao three times, but was repeatedly ignored by the respondent. He said he had no option but to file the charges because the evidence presented by the prosecution was strong.

In asking for the re-investigation, Lumbao’s lawyer Ricardo Valmonte claimed that his client was not given a chance to defend himself because he did not receive any of the summons issued by the justice department.

"Since it could not be ascertained with utmost certainty when Lumbao learned of the filing of the information, he must be accorded/given the benefit of the doubt," Soriaso stated in her order.

Soriaso denied, however, Lumbao’s appeal for bail, saying the re-investigation should be completed first.

The rebellion case stemmed from Lumbao’s acts of encouraging Estrada supporters to march to Malacañang in an attempt to topple the newly installed Arroyo administration.

Lumbao allegedly agitated the Estrada loyalists by saying that Mrs. Arroyo does not care for their plight and that only Estrada could deliver them from poverty. He even urged them not to recognize the Arroyo presidency.

Velasco indicated that they may also file rebellion suits against Estrada’s son Joseph Victor Ejercito who is now mayor of San Juan, actor John Regala, former Press Secretary Ricardo Puno, Jamby Madrigal, Sen. Tito Sotto and Makati Rep. Agapito Aquino who also instigated the crowd at the pro-Estrada rally on EDSA to march to Malacañang.

The case against Enrile filed before the Quezon City court is undergoing preliminary investigation by a five-member panel of fiscals headed by State Prosecutor Alfredo Agcaoili.

On the other hand, a similar case filed against former Ambassador to the United States Ernesto Maceda was dropped by Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Judge Cesar Untalan on Aug. 30 last year.

Estrada loyalists free to stage rallies — Palace

The government will not prevent supporters of Estrada from staging their protest actions on Wednesday, acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable said.

Afable said the President was not concerned with the implications of Lumbao’s arrest. "I don’t know if it will fuel a big crowd or diminish the crowd. But the important thing is all of these would be peaceful," he said.

However, some 60 members of PMAP were banned from entering Camp Crame yesterday where they planned to dramatize their protest over the arrest of Lumbao.

Officials told the group led by Obina to hold their rally outside the camp.

The group assailed alleged double standard of justice in Lumbao’s case, citing the cases of Enrile who was allowed to post bail, and Maceda who was cleared of the charges.

Lumbao was being detained under heavy security at the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Intelligence Group at Camp Crame.

Obina branded Lumbao’s arrest as "illegal, unjustified and a form of political harassment."

At the same time, Obina urged the Arroyo administration to drop the rebellion charges against Lumbao as a gesture of sincerity in offering reconciliation with Estrada loyalists.

"We challenge the court, particularly Judge Teresa Soriaso, to belie the people’s concerns that they have become an unwitting tool by the Arroyo regime in its strategy of repression and harassment against its political opponents," he said.

Obina also laughed off the PNP’s claim that the arrest of Lumbao would cripple the PMAP. "We just hope that the PNP would not believe its own propaganda or else they would be surprised," he said.

In a statement, Estrada viewed Lumbao’s arrest as a sign of the death of the people’s basic rights.

"Lumbao’s arrest is quite saddening. Even from the very start of my administration, I did not touch the people who are conducting rallies against my government," Estrada said. "I did not order the arrest of anyone even to the extent that the media were maligning me."

In another development, pro-administration Sen. Ralph Recto called for the immediate release of Lumbao and charged that the government committed "selective application of justice" in arresting him.

"If the government will arrest Lumbao only, but not the big shots who also incited the large EDSA III crowd to attack Malacañang, then it might as well drop the rebellion charges it had filed against the PMAP leader," Recto said.

Recto, along with Senators Franklin Drilon and Joker Arroyo, also criticized Malacañang for stopping the public showing of an Estrada documentary film entitled "Ama ng Masa."

"The (Arroyo) administration has just given free publicity to what is otherwise a boring film that is 100 percent unadulterated propaganda," Recto said.

Arroyo said Estrada apparently "twisted and falsified the truth" in the film. "But falsehood alone is not reason to ban its showing."

He pointed out that if Arroyo’s own documentary entitled "Ina ng Bayan" could be shown, why not "Ama ng Masa."

Drilon said the people should be given the opportunity to view the Estrada documentary and see for themselves if the events were presented truthfully and if it merits their support.

Opposition Rep. Abraham Mitra of Palawan assailed what he called "Palace nincompoops" for stopping the showing of the Estrada documentary.

Mitra said the move merely "whetted public curiosity" on the film.

"Had they quietly allowed the documentary to be aired, it would have been history by now and its contents would have been easily forgotten," Mitra said. — Marichu Villanueva, Delon Porcalla, Christina Mendez, Efren Danao, Jess Diaz, Jose Rodel Clapano, Manny Galvez