Filipino expats rejoice over victory for 'people power'

DAMMAM, 21 January — Filipinos in the Eastern Province yesterday rejoiced over the ouster of Joseph Estrada from power and called upon new President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and senior military officials not to allow the disgraced leader to leave the country.

"It is people's victory. If people could elect Erap with such a huge majority then they could throw him out also," said Ed Luz, a resident in Alkhobar.

"Erap's affair also sets a warning to future leaders that if they indulged in corrupt practices then the people will throw them out too," he said.

By evening hundreds of Filipinos gathered at Jawahara Market in Alkhobar and congratulated each other on "their victory".

"Democracy may be young in our country but it is now embedded in our society and no one can ever play with our system and if he does so he will have a similar fate," said Mario, an employee in a steel company at Dammam Industrial Area.

The Supreme Court stripped Estrada of his office after the

military's senior command, the police and most of the Cabinet defected and joined protests which then swelled to hundreds of thousands of people outraged by the collapse of his impeachment trial on charges of corruption.

A majority of the Filipinos were of the view that Estrada should not be allowed to go into exile. They believe that he has stolen people's money and therefore should be tried in a court of law. In the meantime, all his accounts should be frozen, they say.

"We allowed (former President Ferdinand) Marcos to leave the country but certainly we shouldn't allow Erap to go. Time has changed so has the political equation in the country. Democracy is now strong enough to sustain any challenges from people like Estrada," said Ferdinand, an office worker in Dammam.

Filipino workers here have agreed that coming days will be rough for the Philippines as a certain level of uncertainty will linger. "But the country is capable of salvaging such situations and eventually better sense will prevail and the new leaders will work for political and economic stability," Ferdinand said.