Majority of Socsargen lawyers want Estrada to quit or be impeached

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Majority of lawyers in South Cotabato, Sarangani and General Santos, which comprise the Socsargen area, believe that President Estrada has lost his mandate to lead the Filipino people and consequently, want his administration to end.

In a survey conducted by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Socsargen chapter, 47.5 percent of its more than 200 members want the President to resign, and 40 percent favor his impeachment, lawyer Gerard Mosquera, IBP chapter president, said.

Mosquera said only five percent want Mr. Estrada to remain in office until his term ends in 2004. This percentage though is even less than the number of those who abstained or refused to take a stand.

Sixty percent of the IBP members believe that allegations on jueteng payoffs hurled by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson against Mr. Estrada, are true.

On the other hand, at least 35 percent want Singson to present more evidence to bolster his claims, while only five percent say the accusations are pure lies.

On Estrada’s repeated denials that he never received a single centavo from jueteng operators, 60 percent do not believe him, 35 percent refused to comment and only five percent think he is telling the truth.

Mosquera noted that the survey results show the conservative nature of lawyers.

"Although the majority sentiment is for the Estrada presidency to end, a substantial number wants the problem to be settled through the legal or mandated constitutional processes," he said.

He said some lawyers still want to abide by due process and to see clear evidence against Mr. Estrada.

But Mosquera said the IBP members believe that if Mr. Estrada is impeached, he could be charged with the crime of plunder which, under the Philippine law, is punishable by death.

He said Singson’s testimony that the President had used Ilocos Sur’s P130-million share of tobacco excise taxes under Republic Act 7171 for his own benefit, qualifies the filing of plunder charges.

"The money involved is more than P50 million. Under the law, if anybody unduly utilizes government money in excess of that amount, that will fall as a crime of plunder," he said.

With the present "seemingly irreversible trend" going against the President, Mosquera said the best option for him is to resign and go for a negotiated settlement with the emerging political force led by Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But he said such settlement can also prove useless if any citizen still wants him later charged with plunder.

Singson, he said, could also be prosecuted criminally, being a principal by direct participation in the jueteng controversy. But he said the governor can apparently apply for a certain immunity as the "whistle blower," or turn state witness.