Are You Serious? Erap for President this 2010

Even if Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson dropped some bomb against resident Joseph "Erap" Estrada. The former president will still run for the presidency this incoming 2010.

"For me, the prohibition (in running again) only applies to the incumbent President because of the undue advantage. (For example) She could use the fertilizer fund, the road user's tax and other government funds (in the campaign)," Estrada said in his usual slurred speech.


"Ang taongbayan ang dapat mag-desisyon (It’s the people who should decide)," Estrada said, alluding to the SC's ruling on Poe's case. Erap also argues that he could use the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of his late friend Fernando Poe Jr (or FPJ as they often call him). regarding his citizenship. As it turned out, the High Court ruled that the people should be allowed to decide on whether to vote for Poe or not.

He also insisted that he did not resign his post as President but was merely "on leave" when he left Malacañang in January 2001 because he was never convicted in the impeachment trial.

However, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal stated that the case of FPJ is different from Erap. FPJ's case concerns about his citizenship while Erap's case is about his re-election. "He has taken an oath of office to abide by the provisions of the Constitution, which included that he is not eligible for re-election," Macalintal said. He also added that President Arroyo, who was then Estrada's vice president, was only continuing the unfinished term of Estrada when he was ousted in 2001, exempting her from the four-year clause provided in the Constitution.

Atty. Pacifico Agabin, Estrada legal counsel, argued that the former president could still run since he served only less than four years of his six-year term. "The term 'President' (in the Constitution) refers only to the sitting president and not the former president," Agabin said

For my political opinion: I'm with Atty. Macalintal about the issue of Erap. Their cases (FPJ and Erap) are obviously not the same. Even Erap will run for president this 2010 because he wasn't convicted in his impeachment trial, he's still convicted by the Sandiganbayan. Making him a criminal but was pardoned by Ms. Arroyo. Ok, let's say we will give him the chance to run. The question: Will he win?

I think I'm right when I say this that name recall or being popular doesn't work (too much) now. Filipinos are educated and they know how to think. They know the senators who wanted to impeached him but later on, became an opposition. Is it because they don't like the current administration that's why they became opposition and eventually an ally to the former president? Maybe it's ok to be an oppoosition without being an ally to the one who you tried to convict.