Estrada impeachment trial rusumes

　　MANILA, philippines-president joseph estrada(news-w eb sites) on Thursday denied testimony by the key witne ss at his impeachment trial that he accepted a check fo r $100,000 from illegal gambling lords.

　　"There is no truth to that," the philippine preside nt told reporters. "Let us leave it to the impeachment court to prove that it was not give to me."

　　Estrada is being tried in the philippine senate on counts to prove that it was not given to me."

　　Estrada is being tried in the philippine senate on counts of bribery, graft, betrayal of public trust and violating the constitution. A guilty verdict by two-thi rds of the 22-member senate on any of the four counts w ould force estrada from office.

　　Many business and labor groups have called on estra da to resign immediately,cutting short the country's po litical crisis for the good of the economy, regardless of his guilt or innocence. The country's powerful roman catholic church has also urged estrada to resign to spa re the nation from a long, divisive trial.

　　Thursday was the trial's sixth day. During the hear ing, singson's secretary, carmencita itchon, said a wom an she claimed was appointed by estrada to audit the ju eteng collections made frequent telephone calls to the presidential residence and to estrada's son, jinggoy.

　　Jinggoy estrada, the mayor of san juan, a town in m etropolitan manila, insisted that his family did not re ceive payoffs from jueteng and expressed confidence tha t his father will be acquitted.

　　The trial has been delayed frequently by procedural disputes. Senqte president aquilino pimentel said Thurs day he woud propose holding morning and Saturday hearin gs to speed up the trial and ensure it can be completed by mid-january. The trial is currently being held five hours a day Monday through firday.