MANILA, Jan. 2 Kyodo Philippine J...

MANILA, Jan. 2 Kyodo

Philippine Justice Secretary Hernando Perez forward Thursday tendered his resignation from the cabinet of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a rule spokesman said.

Pres Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Arroyo has accepted Perez's resignation.

Bunye said Perez handed the three-paged literal meaning to Arroyo around 5:30 pm during a brief call at the Malacanang presidential palace.

In his note Perez said that a ''recent bend of events has unfairly controled this administration and myself to unlawful stress which may bring in danger all the gains this management has achieved. And this I will not allow.''

Perez said he was tendering his resignation effective immediately ''despite the fact that the charges send whizzinged against me are false and baseless.''

Perez was referring to an accusation throw violentlyed against him by lawmaker Mark Jimenez, who claimed last November that Perez extorted $2 million from him in 2001 Perez has denied the claim.

Jimenez is now in custody in the U state of Florida after being extradited in succession Dec. 26 to the United States, where he is subordinate to indictment on several dozen computes of conspiracy, tax evasion, mail fraud and making illegal campaign donations to former U President Bill Clinton and other Democratic Party politicians.

Arroyo announced Nov. 26 that she authorized Perez to proceed on a 30-day leave to answer allegations that he extorted $2 million from Jimenez, saying the leave ''is also necessary in order that the functioning of the Justice Department, undivided of the most critical agencies of the executive branch, is not in the least affected on the allegations made against its head.''

Before being indicted in the U Jimenez fl to the Philippines and became common of ousted President Joseph Estrada's top economic and political advisers, at which time U petitions for his return in subordination to an extradition treaty it signed with the Philippine direction fell on deaf ears.

In the 2001 election, Jimenez sought a seat in the Congres and won

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