Manila, Aug 01: Ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada on Friday praised last weekend's failed military mutiny, saying he admires the young officers for standing up for their cause, but he denied any involvement in the plot. Estrada, who is on trial on plunder charges, also denied knowing or having met any of the rebel soldiers, including their detained spokesman, Navy Lt. Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes.
"But I admire him. I admire Capt. Trillanes because of his cause," Estrada said on radio. Asked if he opposed moves to bring down President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government, the detained Estrada said, "That thought has not crossed my mind."
But asked if he would have accepted reinstatement if the mutiny had succeeded, he said he would if he were recognized "as the legitimate President."

Estrada insisted that Arroyo's government is "illegitimate" and "unconstitutional" and that coup charges against the renegade soldiers were wrong.
As Vice President, Arroyo succeeded Estrada after he was toppled by a military-backed "people power" uprising in January 2001. He was arrested three months later and is standing trial for plunder, a capital offence.
More than 300 junior officers and soldiers stormed an upscale commercial complex in Manila's Makati financial district early Sunday and wired it with explosives to demand the government's resignation. The standoff, which government officials said was part of a larger coup plot, ended peacefully 19 hours later. Bureau Report