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On Friday the government filed a rebellion complaint before the justice department against Laarni Enriquez, accusing her of aiding rogue soldiers in carrying out the July 27 alleged coup plot against Arroyo.
Enriquez, 40, is a former movie starlet with whom Estrada has sired three children.
An Estrada aide, Ramon Cardenas, had earlier been slapped with rebellion charges.
Enriquez, in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, denied the accusation, saying she would not risk her children's future by espousing adventurism within the military.
"No mother in her right senses would deliberately destroy her children's future by supporting a coup," Enriquez said. "Why will I gamble the future of my children?"
"This is too much. They think I will just keep silent, that we will be afraid, that we will just give in. Sir is already down, yet they want to kick him around," she said, referring to Estrada.
She said her children were confused and worried for their safety, accusing the government of conspiring to have the coup plot pinned on Estrada, who has been in detention since 2001 while being tried for massive corruption.
"I see a script here. What's the final salvo? President Estrada?," Enriquez said.
More than 300 soldiers calling for Arroyo's ouster took over an upscale residential and commercial building in the financial center of Makati on July 27. The crisis ended peacefully 22 hours later when the rebels surrendered amid threats of artillery fire.
The government contends the power grab was planned by opposition senator Gregorio Honasan, a key Estrada ally who has now gone into hiding.
A military backed revolt forced Estrada out of office in 2001, and he was replaced by his then-vice president Arroyo.
Enriquez has been accused of owning mansions and of receiving expensive jewelry allegedly bought from proceeds of money Estrada was said to have received from gambling lords. She has previously denied the allegations.
WAR.WIRE |