President Tells Philippine Rally He Won’t Quit

Philippine President Joseph Estrada spurned demands by tens of thousands of protesters Saturday that he step down over allegations that he received millions of dollars in illegal gambling payoffs.

“To those who are rallying, just wait for what will happen in Congress,” he said. “It is not necessary to hold a rally. No amount of rallies can make me resign. We have to follow the constitutional processes.”

The protesters had crowded streets and highway overpasses in Manila, the capital, for a church-sponsored rally, held at a shrine commemorating the site where hundreds of thousands gathered in 1986 for a peaceful “people power” revolt that ousted dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. Participants filled the shrine and three nearby overpasses and threw confetti from buildings.

“Erap, resign!” the protesters chanted, using Estrada’s popular nickname.

The scandal erupted last month when a provincial governor, Luis Singson, testified that he had arranged payoffs to Estrada totaling more than $8.6 million from illegal gambling and $2.8 million from provincial tobacco taxes. Estrada has denied taking any illegal gambling money but has provided little evidence in his defense.

Former President Corazon Aquino, who helped lead the 1986 revolt, joined others Saturday in urging Estrada to resign. “History may treat you more kindly if you go peacefully and you go now,” she said. “Even the best actor knows when it’s time to take his final bow.”

While the color yellow symbolized the “people power” revolt, many participants Saturday wore white, representing their demand for a corruption-free government.

“If he will not step down, the situation could worsen and he may have to step down with great embarrassment, humiliation and ignominy,” said Roman Catholic Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin, the nation’s most influential church leader and the sponsor of the rally.