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Estrada Vows to Resign if Accusations Proven True
Philippine President Joseph Estrada said November 7 that he will immediately vacate his post if it is proven in the impeachment case filed against him that he received money from illegal gambling or that he stole from the national treasury.
In his speech at the 50th anniversary of the Philippine Marine Corps at Fort Bonifacio in Manila, the president also appealed to his detractors that he be given due process and his day in court.
"And if I am proven a liar, if anybody could show that I accepted even a single centavo from illegal gambling or took it from the national coffers, I will not stay one minute longer as President of the Republic," Estrada said emphatically.
The president said that he was confident that the truth would prevail in the end and that in the final analysis "those who put their personal and political interests above the interests of our country will be proven wrong."
"I am convinced that I will be cleared of all the issues that are unfairly being leveled against me," he said.
The president said this will then restore the political and economic stability that his political opponents wished to deny the country in the pursuit of what he described as their selfish desire to seize power before the end of his term in 2004 and outside the framework of the constitution.
Estrada also called on the Marines and other sectors of society to place the country above personal and political interests.
Some sectors are calling for the resignation of President Estrada amid allegations that he received more than 11 million US dollars from illegal gambling operators and tobacco taxes.
On the other hand, the House of Representatives committee on justice voted Monday to elevate a resolution to impeach Estrada from the committee to the plenary session on November 13.
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