Bad tooth sidelines Erap

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada will be out of the limelight for about four days, starting on Tuesday, as he will undergo tooth implant surgery to replace a bad tooth.

Estrada, however, will still attend President Aquino’s fourth State of the Nation Address at the Batasan Pambansa Complex, where he is among the invited guests tomorrow.

“My dentist said my face might swell for a few days. So, I will have to be out of the picture for a while,” the 76-year-old mayor told The STAR. The healing process will take about four days.

Estrada clarified that despite his physical absence, he will continue to discharge his duties and functions as the city’s chief executive and today’s technology will enable him to do his job “via remote.”

After more than three weeks as Manila mayor, Estrada said the debts incurred – and left unpaid – by his predecessor, Alfredo Lim, has crippled the city.

Among these debts is the P398-million electric bill, which Estrada said is bigger than the P242 million left in the city’s coffers when he took over last June 30.

He said he has been reduced to “sweeping, clearing the roads, revamping the police… That’s all I can do because there is no money.”