On the streets of Manila: 'Resign or Else!'

Crowds calling for the resignation of Estrada march through the streets of Manila

By Mike Chinoy
Hong Kong Bureau Chief

MANILA, Philippines -- The man in the peaked cap and the blue T-shirt carries a sign that reads, "No more extensions! Resign or Else!"

Overhead, four hovering Philippine army helicopters dip so that the cockpit crew can stick their hands out and display a thumbs-down symbol - a gesture of support for the huge crowds who have flocked to the streets of Manila demanding that President Joseph Estrada resign.

The protesters set off at dawn, from a memorial to the 1986 People Power revolt which toppled then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Their destination: the Presidential Palace Malacanang, where President Estrada has been holed up as his support has completely crumbled in the last 36 hours.

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The military, the police, most of his former advisors, cabinet members and growing sectors of the public all have joined forces to demand that Estrada step down, saying the corruption charges laid against him have made him unfit to govern.

The march has now been stopped by a very small police barricade --fences and barbed wires -- and 75 policemen dressed in blue wearing black berets, with riots shields and truncheons but no weapons.

Mayor negotiates with police

The Mayor of Manila is negotiating with the policemen. The mood is relaxed although the chants and shouts of the crowd continue to punctuate the muggy morning air.

It is not clear how long the crowd will wait before forcing their way through to Malacanang Palace.

The Philippine armed forces helicopters, according to some reports, have been trying to land at the palace in order to make one final attempt to convince Estrada to leave with them.

One of the issues for the president, if he does step down, is the terms of any resignation.

He is said to want an amnesty and to be able to stay in the Philippines. The opposition has rejected that.

If he leaves the country, one of the issues will be where he can go without fearing further prosecution. The case of the former Chilean leader Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who was arrested in England on charges connected to his authoritarian years in power, must loom in Estrada's mind.

At this point there is a stand-off in the streets but the overwhelming weight of political opinion and the overwhelming force of the people marching through the streets of Manila suggests that it is not a matter of whether but simply when Mr. Estrada will go.

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President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)
Philippine House of Representatives

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