NEWSFLASH

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"I’M A PRISONER OF LOVE"-- ERAP

Candelaria, Zambales, April 7, 2000 - President Estrada waxed romantic and vowed that he would join First Lady Luisa "Loi" Ejercito in prison if ever she went to jail.

"They say I will be happy if she is jailed, But it is not so. I will stay with her in jail, if ever," he said in jest when he spoke before the homecoming of medical doctors and other professionals in Candelaria, Zambales Wednesday night.

The Estradas were guests at the gathering in which the First Lady was also an honoree, she being a native of Zambales and a medical doctor.

The President cracked the joke on stage in the presence of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee. The committee is investigating the allegations of Sister Christine Tan, a former director of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, that Mrs. Ejercito and her son, San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada were involved in the P416-million PCSO fund controversy.

"I told Senator Pimentel who is chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to immediately investigate the First Lady if she is really guilty so that she can be jailed," the President said.

Mrs. Ejercito and Mayor Estrada voluntarily submitted themselves to the Blue Ribbon Committee's jurisdiction as part of the Senate inquiry into the case.

Earlier, the President called Tan a "lying nun" after she involved Mrs. Ejercito and Mayor Estrada in the PCSO fund controversy.

Mr. Estrada said the First Lady, who is a very devout Catholic, is engaged in civic and charity work from Aparri to Jolo without any fanfare.

"Everything that nun said, I could not understand, she is even a nun, I don't know that a nun can also be a liar," the President said.

The Chief Executive said Tan has no basis in saying that the First Family had received P416 million from the PCSO for their pet projects.

In fact P136 million was released to their various charity projects based on the official accounting made by the Commission on Audit, he added.