House speaker, Senate president resign from Estrada's party

House speaker, Senate president resign from Estrada's party
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NOV 3: Philippine President Joseph Estrada's chief lieutenants in both houses of Congress resigned from his ruling party today over allegations that the President received millions of dollars in payoffs from illegal gambling lords.

Senate President Franklin Drillon and House Speaker Manuel Villar are the most senior lawmakers to quit Estrada's LAMP party over the corruption scandal. Villar said he would sign an impeachment complaint against the President in the House and expected about 40 other party members also to do so.

Their decision follows the resignations yesterday of five other Congressmen from the ruling party and the resignation from the Cabinet of Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas.

All five of Estrada's senior economic advisers also planned to quit later today, officials said, in a further blow to rapidly eroding confidence in Estrada's government. A senator withdrew today from LAMP.

Late yesterday, Estrada offered to face a referendum on whether he should stay in office and said he would clear his name.

Allegations by a provincial governor that Estrada pocketed more than $11.4 million from illegal gambling operators and tobacco taxes have plunged the Philippines into its worst political crisis in years, and have had a devastating effect on Manila's financial markets.

The once immensely popular Estrada - a former movie action star who campaigned on a pro-poor platform - has denied taking "even a centavo" of illegal gambling money but has not responded more fully to the charges.

In a statement yesterday, Estrada said he would end his silence because many people had mistaken it as "an admission of guilt."