He did not explain how or why Bograd got the check. Singson, however, said he gave the check directly to Estrada, and that the president knew it was jueteng money. He took it and gave it to Bograd. The owner of the account had not previously been disclosed. Estrada is being tried in the Philippine Senate on counts of bribery, graft, betrayal of public trust and violating the constitution.
Critics say the Muslim youth foundation was a front used by the president to cover up payoffs.
But Estrada insisted Friday that he planned to provide scholarships to 100 people per year to study in the United States. Many business and labor groups have called on Estrada to resign immediately, cutting short the country's political crisis for the good of the economy, regardless of his guilt or innocence. In testimony Friday, the seventh day of the impeachment trial, Singson said Estrada's son, Jinggoy, collected payoffs from jueteng operators but his involvement was not known by the president, who did not want his children to participate. Jinggoy Estrada, the mayor of San Juan, a town in metropolitan Manila, has denied any involvement in jueteng. He has said he is ready to testify at the impeachment trial to deny the accusations.