Pro-Erap protesters sneak past cops, hold rally at Sandigan

Around 100 supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada staged a lightning rally Wednesday in front of the Sandiganbayan minutes before the ousted leader testified for the sixth time on plunder and perjury charges. Security troops were caught off guard by the protesters, who maintained that Estrada was innocent of the charges filed by government. They also expressed outrage over the Monday kidnapping of five pro-Estrada members of the Union of the Masses for Democracy and Justice (UMDJ). The Philippine National Police had declared the perimeter around the Sandiganbayan as a no-rally zone whenever Estrada visits the graft court. Despite the standing security orders, police gave the protesters a few minutes to voice their sentiments in front of the Sandiganbayan. Estrada has been accused, among other things, of taking payola from operators of the jueteng illegal numbers game, manipulating the stock market, and pocketing millions in tobacco excise taxes. The protesters dispersed peacefully after 15 minutes and were "escorted" by police to the nearby St. Peter Parish along Commonwealth Avenue.-GMANews.TV