Halleluiah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thin turnout of Estrada loyalists at Sandigan
Supporters’ reaction to guilty verdict muted
MANILA, Philippines -- Only 500 to 600 loyalists of former president Joseph Estrada showed up near the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court in Quezon City for the verdict on the plunder case against the former leader Wednesday morning, far short of the 5,000 announced earlier.
And, although clearly dismayed by the guilty judgment, their reaction was muted.
Riot police deployed to the area near St. Peter’s Parish, where the Estrada loyalists were permitted to stage a rally, were relieved at the low turnout.
"Mas maganda nga iyan na konti lang sila na pumunta, mas walang problema [It’s better that way, that there are only few of them, there will be less of a problem]," Senior Superintendent Elmo San Diego, the police ground commander said.
The Estrada supporters came mostly from the Union of the Masses for Justice and Democracy (UMDJ).
Actor Rez Cortez, a staunch Estrada supporter who heads the National Council of Concerned Volunteers, questioned why the verdict was handed down so quickly.
"Bakit hindi binasa ang kabuuuan ng desisyon? Nakakalungkot na guilty. Ito ay kamatayan ng hustisya hindi lamang para kay Erap [Estrada’s nickname] kundi para sa bansa [Why did they not read the whole decision? It is sad that the verdict is guilty. This is the death of justice, not just for Erap but for the nation]," said Cortez.
Commenting on the low turnout, Cortez surmised that other Estrada supporters may have chosen to stay home and watch the reading of the verdict on television.
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