Sparse crowd at Estrada sendoff

And then there was none.

Embattled President Estrada left yesterday for Brunei to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum without the usual crowd of well-wishers jostling for his attention at the airport.

Gone were the hordes of "friends" and "favor-seekers" who used to climb over each other and even compete with media to get a good vantage point whenever Mr. Estrada left or arrived in the country.

There was sadness in the face of the President when he alighted from his limousine with First Lady Dr. Luisa Ejercito, who accompanied him on the trip to Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of the oil-rich sultanate where they will stay for a day.

This time, only a handful of Cabinet members and government officials saw their boss off.

Mr. Estrada’s face lit up only when a reporter addressed him as "Mr. President" from a cordoned area. He waved at the reporters and smiled, wanting to get near them.

But he was already 25 minutes behind schedule to board the private Hawker 150 jet that took off at 8 a.m.

Mr. Estrada is attending the two-day annual APEC conference despite the political crisis for fear of offending host nation Brunei. The President was impeached Monday by Congress on bribery charges, while on Tuesday there was a nationwide "welgang bayan" or people’s strike.

Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said it was unlikely Mr. Estrada’s problems would be discussed by leaders of APEC because of other pressing issues, including the presidential election standoff in the United States, Thailand’s economic problems, and the security situation in Indonesia.

If the President is asked by other leaders, Puno said Mr. Estrada will explain that the problems are being resolved through a constitutional process.

"Other countries will be more assured if they will see that what is happening is not mob rule," Puno said.

On the other hand, the so-called presidential favor-seekers and the usual retinue with the monosyllabic surnames made themselves scarce yesterday, not wanting to be seen by "the other side" with their former benefactor.

"They want to distance themselves now from the President for obvious reasons," an observer said.

Even some airport photographers, who earned extra drinking allowance from Chinese businessmen and professional name-droppers wanting to be photographed with Mr. Estrada, complained that they had lost their "clients."

Among those who saw the President off were Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, chairman of a government caretaker committee in Mr. Estrada’s absence, Finance Secretary Jose Pardo, Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim, National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre, Transportation Secretary Vicente Rivera, Energy Secretary Mario Tiaoqui, House Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella;

Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez, Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado, Flagship Projects Secretary Roberto Aventajado, Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara, Agrarian Reform Secretary Horacio Morales, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office head Secretary Jose Jaime Policarpio Jr., Airport General Manager Antonio Gana, Customs Commissioner Renato Ampil, Customs Collector Celso Templo and Col. Joey Yuchongco.

Understandably absent was Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who had declined to co-chair the caretaker committee with Zamora.

In a brief interview with reporters, Zamora said that everything is under control. "Nothing is going to happen while the President is away on an official mission," he said.

Zamora said the President left instructions about security concerns in the country. He said the caretaker committee will discuss the street protests and security problems in the southern Philippines.

"We are watching to be sure nobody will take advantage of the absence of the President," Zamora said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Brunei signed Tuesday a pact on technical and trade cooperation aimed at developing the fisheries sectors of the two countries and revitalizing East Asean’s growth area that also includes Malaysia and Indonesia.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. signed the agreement on behalf of the Philippines, while Princess Hjh Masna signed on behalf of the Brunei government.

The accord is aimed at encouraging joint ventures between the private sectors of both countries, especially in the fishing industry.

At the Brunei capital, the President and his party arrived at 10:40 a.m. after a two hour flight from Manila and received a heart-warming welcome from Filipino expatriates based in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Mr. Estrada said he will make a pitch for e-commerce, where the Philippines holds a comparative advantage over its Asian neighbors, during the APEC summit.

Back at Malacañang, Press Undersecretary Michael Toledo said the Philippines’ vibrant democracy is the best guarantee that investments are safe in the country. – With AFP, AP reports