Filipinos Stage Rally to Counter Estrada Critics
Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos joined a government-organized prayer rally Saturday that critics said was designed to demonstrate support for President Joseph Estrada as he faces impeachment on corruption charges.
A helicopter circled overhead with a sign reading “Uphold the Law,” a reference to Estrada’s insistence that the corruption allegations be resolved through an impeachment trial, not through street protests demanding his resignation.
Many in the crowd were members of charismatic Christian groups.
Estrada has been accused of having accepted more than $11 million from illegal gambling operators and tobacco taxes.
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