Erap supporters behaved during verdict promulgation – PNP

By Ronron
September 12, 2007

The Philippine National Police (PNP) declared the mass demonstration of former President Joseph Estrada’s supporters yesterday as “generally peaceful,” noting the absence of any untoward incident.

But even as it thanked them “for abiding with the agreement” of staying where they are and not provoking the anti-riot cops, the police will continue to monitor them especially that one of its leaders, Ver Eustaquio of the Union for the Masses of Democracy and Justice (UMDJ), announced that the group will plan about its future actions to protest the guilty verdict against Estrada for plunder.

“Generally, I would say that what happened was peaceful… and I would like to thank the followers of the former President for abiding with the agreement that we have prior to this verdict,” PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon told a news conference at Camp Crame more than an hour after the Sandiganbayan convicted Estrada for plunder.

About 700 supporters of Estrada gathered along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City yesterday morning to monitor the Sandiganbayan ruling. Calderon said they dispersed voluntarily before lunchtime.

The PNP had said that it will deploy 4,000 cops, while the Armed Forces will place on standby 2,000 of its personnel, during the promulgation of the decision of the anti-graft court on Estrada’s case.

Immediately after the decision was known, Eustaquio said the supporters of Estrada from the masses will plan what they will do in the coming days to show their indignation against the ruling.

“We will continue our coordination with their group for them to remain calm and peaceful so there will be no chaos in their activities. We allow them anyway. But so far, my general guideline is if anybody will violate the law, we will arrest them,” Calderon said.

The police chief said the organization is “ready” to respond to any violent incidents.

He said the rally yesterday was peaceful probably also because the public has recognized that due process was given to the former leader, and that the decision was crafted and issued by “respected members of the court.”

Asked if the lean crowd indicates that anti-government effort is already subsiding, Calderon said: “I don’t want to comment on that. What I can say is the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces and the government are prepared for any violence that may happen, and we will really observe the rule of law.”

He said the PNP will still maintain its red alert status until the local commanders think there is no more threat to security that may warrant for a lowering of the level. The same thing with the military, said AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro.

“In this case, we will be guided by the need of the PNP for our assistance because the PNP is in the lead role while we are in the support role,” Bacarro said in a separate news briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.

Asked, meanwhile, if the conviction of Estrada would now make the military organization safe from any adventurism acts, Bacarro said: “We would say that military adventurism – I’m referring to those people in the organization who will be participating in any form of adventurism – will consider that as a thing of the past. And this is manifested by what we can see now as the level of professionalism of our soldiers, that they are no longer easily lured into participating in any type of organization.”

Bacarro refused to comment when asked if the conviction of Estrada justifies the military’s withdrawal of support from him in 2001, saying: “That’s a political question, I would not be in a position to answer that.”

The allegations against Estrada, which was the basis for his conviction, were the same reason he was ousted in January 2001 by a bloodless people power revolt. He was replaced by his vice president then, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The guilty verdict against him carries a penalty of 20 to 40 years of imprisonment./DMS