MANILA Security forces were on high alert according to DPA in the Philippine capital on Tuesday as the country waited for an anti-graft court to decide on whether ousted president Joseph Estrada would be arrested on the charge of economic plunder.

Police braced for riots and violence as more than 3,000 Estrada supporters barricaded the gates of a posh subdivision where his home is located in San Juan town in Manila to block the arrest of the disgraced leader.

Some 6,000 policemen, including forces from nearby provinces, were placed on standby for deployment if the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court issues a warrant of arrest against Estrada, who was ousted by a military-backed mass uprising in January.

Sandiganbayan presiding justice Francis Garchitorena said the court's third division, which is handling the plunder case, was still evaluating the evidence against Estrada.

"They are still in the stage of thinking and preparing," he told reporters as the justices continued deliberations.

Asked whether the division would issue a warrant on Wednesday, he said, "Tomorrow is another day. We shall see tomorrow."

Estrada supporters sang and danced after being informed that no arrest warrant was issued against their "idol" on Tuesday.

The Sandiganbayan can order the former president's arrest since plunder, or theft of public funds in excess of 50 million pesos (1 million dollars), is a non-bailable offense. The crime carries the maximum penalty of death.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo admitted that the unresolved issue over "what to do with the former president" was contributing to political uncertainty in the country, but brushed aside threats of an uprising once Estrada is arrested.

Asked at her weekly news conference about the threats, she curtly replied, "no reaction."

Estrada said he would not resist arrest, but stressed that his lawyers were prepared to challenge the warrant if due process is not followed.

"We will see what kind of warrant the court will issue," he said in a radio interview. "My lawyers are prepared to question it if necessary."

Police Director Thompson Lantion said a contingent of marines has also been tapped to help police secure Estrada during an arrest and to control the crowd.

Lantion said three helicopters would be deployed to monitor the situation around Estrada's home, while intelligence units and police dogs have already been dispatched to "strategic areas" near the Sandiganbayan building.

"We need to monitor the movements of people to prevent the outbreak of violence or any other untoward incidents if and when the arrest warrant is issued against the former president," he said. "We also have medical teams on the ground."

Raymond Fortun, one of Estrada's defense lawyers, said the legal panel was preparing a motion to quash the plunder charge against Estrada on the basis that the allegations "do not tally with the elements of the crime".

Fortun said the petition would be filed "within the week, if not today".