Erap visits ailing mom

At least 50 riot policemen secured the San Juan Medical Center (SJMC) as former President Joseph Estrada was allowed by the Sandiganbayan to visit his ailing 97-year-old mother Mary Marcelo-Ejercito yesterday.

Estrada arrived at the SJMC at 10:30 a.m. in an eight-vehicle convoy from detention at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal. The convoy included an ambulance, police vehicles, policemen on motorcycles and Estrada’s Lexus van.

The ousted president was welcomed by some 100 supporters led by his son, San Juan Mayor Jose Victor "JV" Ejercito, who had been awaiting him since 5 a.m.

Estrada’s first concern upon arrival at SJMC was whether the police personnel, members of the press and supporters who had been waiting for him since dawn had eaten breakfast, the San Juan mayor said.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Ricardo de Leon said Estrada shook hands with and waved at well-wishers before proceeding to the room where Doña Mary is confined.

"Are you happy now that I’m here?" Estrada asked his mother, who was clad in a white hospital gown and was wearing an orange wristband, her son’s trademark.

The last time Estrada saw his mother was in December, when he was granted a Christmas furlough.

Doña Mary was rushed to the hospital on March 11 after she complained of pain in her lower abdomen, the Estrada family physician Dr. Lorenzo Jocson said.

Jocson said Doña Mary’s abdominal pain was caused by an infection, adding that Estrada’s arrival at her bedside brought about "improvement" in the nonagenarian’s condition.

"She was very, very lively. Actually, when she learned that her son would visit her, she regained her appetite, despite the fact that she did not know when (the visit) would take place," Jocson said.

She will be brought back to her home in North Greenhills on Sunday if test results show signs of improvement.

Estrada’s arrival at the SJMC was delayed after his Lexus developed engine trouble and stalled on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, Police Safety and Protection Office (PSPO) Chief Superintendent Rolando Sacramento said.

Estrada tried to help fix the vehicle, but his presence caused heavy traffic in the area as motorists stopped to catch a glimpse of the former president, he said.

Sacramento added that he decided to transfer Estrada to a back-up vehicle, an Isuzu Crosswind with license plates XGJ 358, and proceed with the trip to SJMC.

On hand to meet Estrada at the hospital were his wife, Sen. Luisa Ejercito; his other son, former San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada; his daughter Jackie Ejercito-Lopez; and his nephew ER Ejercito.

Jinggoy, who is seeking a Senate seat under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) banner, left the campaign trail in Mindanao to be at his father’s side during the ousted president’s visit with Doña Mary.

De Leon said a task group composed of personnel from the San Juan police secured the hospital, adding that Estrada’s supporters dispersed voluntarily at 11:30 a.m., after tight security prevented them from following Estrada into the hospital.

Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela said additional crowd control personnel from the EPD headquarters and three other police stations in Metro Manila were ready for deployment on short notice, should the need arose.

"We were prepared for a worst-case scenario," Valenzuela said, adding that they have received no information that any particular group would stage protests within the vicinity of the SJMC.

Estrada’s visit was sanctioned by the Sandiganbayan special division trying the plunder case against him. The graft court granted Estrada a 36-hour pass to visit Doña Mary, from 5 a.m. yesterday to 5 p.m. today, in response to Estrada’s urgent ex-parte motion seeking a furlough.

In Koronadal City, KNP standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. thanked President Arroyo on behalf of Estrada, his bosom buddy, for allowing Estrada to visit his mother.

"I thank the President for that because at least it was allowed," Poe said, even as he appealed to those opposed to any concession allowing Estrada free movement outside his detention area in Camp Capinpin to "study the matter carefully."

"They should cut (Estrada) a little slack for humanitarian reasons, and they will see the real condition of Estrada," Poe said.

Mayor Ejercito, on the other hand, said the Estrada family does not consider the 36-hour pass granted to his father as a debt of gratitude, though he admitted that it was a "welcome relief."

"We don’t see this as a debt of gratitude," he said. "There is a political reason, everything is part of a political campaign," he said, adding that allowing his father to visit Doña Mary is part of the administration’s effort to gain "pogi (good looks) points." — With Paolo Romero