Around 50,000 demonstrators are marching on the Philippine presidential palace as the deadline for President Joseph Estrada to step down has passed. Protesters set out on the six mile walk to Malacanang palace 30 minutes after Mr Estrada the 10pm deadline set by Vice President Gloria Arroyo. A spokesman for Ms Arroyo said that Mr Estrada wanted to stay in office for another five days.
The armed forces withdrew their support from the President who is at the centre of a corruption scandal. He had refused to step down unless there are snap elections, but now wants an amnesty in return for stepping down; the Vice President is reported to have rejected this. Earlier the opposition had set a deadline of 10pm tonight(Irish time) for Mr Estrada to step down from office.
Mr Estrada had called for new elections and said that he would not stand for office himself. The embattled former movie actor made no mention of demands for his resignation during his televised speech. He said that he was requesting the elections in the interest of peace. But his leading opponents and Vice President, Gloria Arroyo, who would be in line to succeed him, rejected the plan as unconstitutional.
President Estrada has come under intense pressure to resign since key members of his cabinet and country's highest-ranking military officers joined in opposition calls for him to step down, and tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of the capital, Manila. The Chief of the Armed Forces, General Angelo Reyes, has resigned and has called for President Estrada to be allowed to leave office gracefully. Philippine National Police Chief, Panfilo Lacson, followed the military leadership's example and also withdrew his backing for the leader. Allegations of corruption against Mr Estrada have led to the worst political turmoil since the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, was overthrown in 1986.
