Working to unite opposition, but Joseph Estrada is ready to run

CEBU, Philippines – Former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada says he is ready to run, but is still trying his best to unite the opposition in preparation for the 2010 presidential elections.

Estrada, in a press conference yesterday at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, said that so far there are six opposition presidential hopefuls.

They are Senators Manuel Villar, Manuel Roxas, Loren Legarda andChiz Escudero; Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and himself.

Estrada, who was ousted from the presidency in 2001, said that he will be calling a meeting among the opposition leaders to hopefully come up with a common candidate for the presidency.

Former Senator Ernesto Maceda, in the same press conference, said that Estrada is “95 percent most likely to run for the presidency.”

But Maceda said that at the rate that some presidentiables are spending for their campaign like Senators Villar and Roxas, they are not likely to back down.

Maceda said that should Estrada finally decide to run, there will be no problem as the former president’s political machinery is still intact and everything is ready.

“A month or two from now, I will come up with a decision whether I will run for president or not,” Estrada said.

Estrada said that they will also be fielding candidates for 80 to 85 percent for local positions.

To date, the former chief executive’s has no bet yet for the gubernatorial post in Cebu as well as for congress except for Compostela’s political adviser Gilbert Wagas, who will be once again running in the 5th District.

Maceda likewise challenged the Cebu media to spearhead the cleaning of the voter’s list. He alleged that the list of voters in Cebu has been padded by 500,000 during the 2004 national and local elections, where movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. was the standard bearer of the opposition and lost to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Maceda claimed that Poe won in that election, but was just cheated especially here in Cebu wherein Arroyo won by over one million votes.

Maceda said that in 1998 Estrada won by six million votes in that election and they believe that the latter is much a stronger candidate (should Estrada decide to run) as the former president has an “underdog and sympathy factor.”

“They will all be wiped-out,” Estrada said pointing to the administration candidates and would-be administration’s candidates.

Estrada and Maceda were joined yesterday by senatorial hopefuls Grace Poe, the daughter of FPJ and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Estrada was in Cebu since Sunday and will stay until Wednesday to visit local government units as part of his “Lakbay Pasasalamat” program. 

Town Sorties

In what seemed like an early political campaign, Estrada wooed the residents of Talisay City and Naga when he visited them yesterday afternoon.

He once again said that he is innocent of the charges against him and said that after six and a half years in jail, he would not have the face to meet the people if he was guilty.

Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, however, hinted that unlike “that president,” referring to President Arroyo, Estrada can still run for the presidential post, as provided in the Constitution.

Section 4, Article VII of the Constitution, however, provides that an elected President shall not be eligible for reelection. It clarifies that the term ‘re-election’ means to run again for the same position and the Constitution likewise provides that the prohibition applies to ‘any’ reelection.

Estrada and his team first hopped to Talisay City where they were greeted by Mayor Socrates Fernandez and city officials.

He also gave away P1,000 to each of the senior citizens that he met.

Estrada then proceeded to Naga City where he was met by Mayor Valdemar Chiong and the city residents.

He is scheduled to be in Carcar and Argao today. —/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)