Manila, Oct 26: Police special forces whisked former Philippine president Joseph Estrada from detention today to visit his ailing mother and undergo a medical checkup for lower back and joint pains, officials said. Appearing relaxed in a khaki jacket and pants, Estrada waved at soldiers at the army camp in Tanay town near Manila where he is detained before boarding a helicopter for the short flight to the upscale Greenhills district, where his mother lives.
The former movie action star, still adored by millions of mostly poor Filipinos, was greeted by dozens of supporters when he arrived.
Estrada hugged his frail, 98-year-old mother who had been waiting in a wheelchair near the door of her home. She looked up at him and cried.
One of his sons, Jose Victor Ejercito, who is mayor of San Juan town where Greenhills district is located, said he had mixed feelings about his father's homecoming.
"We're happy ... And sad, especially when we saw our grandmother cry. We know he'll be home only for a short time."
An anti-graft court trying Estrada for the capital offense of economic plunder last week granted his request for a brief furlough from detention to visit his mother and to undergo a medical checkup for recurring pain in his lower back and hip joints.
Bureau Report