An official delegation from Malaysia conveyed Kuala Lumpur's support for Mr Estrada's handling of the situation.
He is believed to have been a significant contributor to Estrada's presidential campaign, and his connections to the Democratic Party will no doubt come in handy as Estrada's foreign-policy advisers try to wrangle a state visit to Washington later this year.
There's a danger that with Estrada's departure, Philippine markets will fall back after a celebratory rise unless Arroyo can show results in tackling some of the toughest issues facing the country.
"I believe it's really hard to find a faithful man, " says Estrada's daughter.
Ramos's Lakas-NUCD party has more cabinet posts (five) than Estrada's own LaMMP coalition with his defeated running-mate Senator Edgardo Angara (four).
She had carefully avoided calling for Estrada's resignation since a scandal erupted a few weeks ago, in which provincial governor Luis Singson accused Estrada of taking millions of dollars of illegal gambling proceeds (the president denies the allegation).
But the desire for good press has a troublesome side: Estrada's high sensitivity to criticism.
Despite Mr Estrada's weakness, therefore, the process by which he assumed leadership gives him strength.
But she has accepted a job in Mr Estrada's cabinet, as secretary for social welfare.
In recent years, though, both mother and daughter have learned to laughed off revelations of Estrada's indiscretions.
After Estrada's resounding victory, Ronaldo became the first cabinet appointee, landing the influential position of executive secretary.
For all Mr Estrada's tough talk, he has encouraged local officials to negotiate with individual guerrilla commands.
And Tonyboy, a frequent visitor to Estrada's home, has just won the right to raise phone rates.
Another of Mr Estrada's friends, a tycoon, Lucio Tan, has also appeared to benefit from the president's friendship.
The ongoing episode indicates that despite Estrada's repeated vows to wipe out corruption, graft remains a deep-rooted problem.
Rising prices of petroleum products have helped undermine President Joseph Estrada's approval ratings.
Mr Estrada's supporters, chiefly the poor, condemned the cardinal and rioted in protest.
But Mr Estrada's movie tough-guy role, fighting bandits in the south, helped bolster his popularity and hush the critics.
Among Mr Estrada's critics is his predecessor as president, Fidel Ramos, who also stood up against Marcos when it mattered.
Although many of Mr Estrada's Senate allies have jumped ship, it is unclear how many are merely employing the Lieberman manoeuvre.
The newspaper complains that Mr Estrada's former colleagues in the film industry are punishing the newspaper by withdrawing their film advertisements.
Zamora says that in Estrada's July 27 state of the nation address the president might name some who received such loans.
But he has refused to step down to make way for Felicito Payumo, whom Mr Estrada's wants to appoint to the job.
Soon after his arrest, thousands of Mr Estrada's supporters rioted outside the presidential palace, in what Mrs Arroyo's government described as a rebellion.
When the impeachment motion was tabled this week, it was endorsed by only two defectors from Mr Estrada's coalition, along with 39 opposition members.
One good way to offset these short-term problems would be to persuade investors that the long-term outlook has fundamentally changed with Mr Estrada's departure.
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If she gets Estrada's job, Arroyo will inherit an economic mess.
Angara was his running mate, whose party joined forces with Estrada's.
Once again, Mr Estrada's opponents criticised him for blustering and blundering.
More importantly, many were also suspicious of Mr Estrada's attempts to alter the constitution, which they see as a bulwark against a return to Marcos-style oppression.
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