After denying that he was abandoning his close friend President Estrada, actor-turned-senator Ramon Revilla resigned yesterday from the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP) coalition.
Revilla’s resignation further eroded Mr. Estrada’s support in the Senate, where he is expected to face an impeachment trial.
In a statement, Revilla said he resigned because he wanted to be "an independent senator" and that "any probe to be conducted by the Senate (on the impeachment complaint) must imbibe independent judgment."
He said he had been "contemplating for the past few days" as the political and economic crises brought about by the scandal continued to hobble the nation.
"As a duly elected senator of the Republic, it is my foremost duty and obligation to the citizenry to be impartial and independent once the articles of impeachment are passed on to the Senate," Revilla said.
He added: "The legacy I can leave this chamber is the purity of my intention, free from partisan influence."
"As I respect whatever decision the President will make, I hope that he will likewise respect my decision to leave the party," he said.
Revilla, a former film action star like Mr. Estrada, gained fame in the 1980s for playing a movie character named "Nardong Putik," who used an amulet or anting-anting that could protect its wearer from harm – including bullets.
Revilla is the sixth senator from the ruling coalition to bolt its ranks. The others are Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senators Ramon Magsaysay Jr., Rodolfo Biazon, Nikki Coseteng and Robert Jaworski.
Last weekend, Revilla denied news reports that he had joined his son-in-law, Jaworski, in bolting LAMP. Like Revilla, Jaworski said he left LAMP because he needed to be impartial when the Senate begins the impeachment trial.
Jaworski’s resignation followed those of Drilon, Biazon and Coseteng, who bolted the coalition last Friday.
Revilla’s resignation leaves Senate President Pro Tempore Blas Ople, Senate Majority Leader Francisco Tatad, Senators John Osmeña, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Juan Ponce Enrile, Gregorio Honasan, Aquilino Pimentel, Vicente Sotto III and Miriam Defensor-Santiago as the only ones allied with the President.
Revilla won in the 1998 general elections under the banner of former President Fidel Ramos’ Lakas-NUCD and then defected to LAMP after Mr. Estrada’s landslide victory.
Under the Constitution, the Senate will act as a tribunal once the House of Representatives elevates the impeachment complaint to the chamber. Sixteen votes are needed to convict Mr. Estrada.