Erap testifies anew, denies accepting gambling payoffs

Deposed President Joseph Estrada, who was accused of taking illegal gambling payoffs totaling P545 million, returned briefly to the witness stand yesterday to repeat his claim that the charges against him are all lies.

"Those are all lies," the former president said. "I never received a single cent from illegal gambling. I never consented to any form of illegal gambling, particularly jueteng, even when I was mayor... I never conspired with anyone, especially jueteng lords."

Overall, prosecutors allege, Estrada amassed about P4 billion from illegal gambling payoffs, tax kickbacks and commissions stashed in secret bank accounts under the alias Jose Velarde. Estrada also faces a perjury charge for allegedly underreporting his assets in 1999.

Estrada, who celebrated his 69th birthday with supporters at St. Peter’s Church on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City before proceeding to the anti-graft court, specifically disputed allegations of prosecution star witness Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson that he had requested a check for P1.2 million, allegedly part of the gambling payoffs, to buy four necklaces as a birthday gift for one of his mistresses.

Estrada said the money was a gift by Singson to Estrada’s son Jacob, who was his godson, and was not used to buy jewelry.

"I don’t know why he gave such a big amount. Maybe he wanted to suck up to me," he said, adding that the P1 million went to Jacob and P200,000 went to Jacob’s siblings.

He also denied he employed the wife of a former tourism official, Yolanda Ricaforte, to be the auditor of the funds from operators of jueteng. Ricaforte has gone into hiding in the United States.

"Hindi ko empleyada si Yolanda Ricaforte (Yolanda Ricaforte was not my employee)," he said, explaining that he met her while her husband Orestes Ricaforte was taking his oath as tourism undersecretary.

Later, Estrada said he appointed her to the board of Campo Carne.

"Their income was not enough to support their children. So I appointed her to the board of Campo Carne," Estrada said.

"I repeat before the court that I have nothing to do with the jueteng transactions of Governor Singson," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Estrada’s lawyers tried to portray the ousted president as a philanthropist and to debunk Singson’s allegations that the Erap-Muslim Youth Foundation was created to launder money collected from jueteng.

Under direct examination, Estrada told the court he donated his salaries as town mayor and later as senator, vice president and president to three foundations that helped fund scholarships for poor students.

He narrated that his scholarship programs started with his creation of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc. (Mowelfund). Seven of its scholars were even sent to the United States to study filmmaking, he noted.

Following the success of Mowelfund, he said he created the Education Research Assistance Program (ERAP) Para sa Mahirap Foundation in 1988 when he was still a senator. Among its incorporators were former Senate president Jovito Salonga, Iñigo Zobel, and the late Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat.

Since 1988, he cited that around 6,574 students had benefited from the scholarship program. Of this number, 2,512 graduated from college, 3,251 dropped out of the program and 811 are currently enrolled.

When asked by his lawyer Jose Flaminiano to name where the funds for the foundation came from, Estrada said they mostly came from his government salary.

After testifying for one and a half hours, the court granted a motion by Estrada’s lawyers to adjourn for the day to give him more time to greet his well-wishers.

Government prosecutors said yesterday they would not object to Estrada granting media interviews, as long as he does not discuss the criminal cases he is facing.

"We have never asked that such a condition (denial of media access) be imposed on him. We do not have any objection to the former president commenting on national issues. It is guaranteed by the Constitution. But he must refrain from commenting on the case," Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio clarified.

Former senator and defense counsel Rene Saguisag earlier asked the Sandiganbayan Special Division to allow media access to Estrada as a matter of "plain and simple fairness."

In a six-page motion, Saguisag told the court that Estrada was still presumed innocent and is still recognized as a leader of the political opposition and, as such, should be entitled to express his opinions and ideas on national issues. - AP, Mike Frialde, Jess Diaz