Erap running for re-election to repay debt of gratitude to poor

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Joseph Estrada said he is seeking anew the presidency in the 2010 elections to repay his debt of gratitude to the poor.

“I want to serve the people. I want to repay them. Erap is nothing today without the poor. The poor were the ones who lined up in theaters, during my stint as movie actor, to pay me. Whatever assets that I have came from the poor,” Estrada said in an interview with ANC yesterday.

Estrada said he would dedicate the last days of his life to lift the poor Filipino people from poverty.

He vowed that he would not allow another popular uprising that removed him from the presidency in 2001.

“I want to live my life to the fullest. I want to leave a legacy as a defender of the causes of the poor Filipino masses before I leave for the second life. I learned from my mistake and it cannot be repeated again,” he said.

Estrada said the reason he decided to leave Malacañang during the EDSA II uprising was to prevent further violence from erupting and spare the lives of innocent people.

“I left Malacañang because I know the blood of the poor will flow there,” he said.

In the same interview, Estrada said his removal from office was unjustified, citing the legal opinion of the late Supreme Court justice Cecilia Munoz-Palma.

He said the late former president Corazon Aquino even apologized to him for joining the EDSA II popular uprising.

Estrada also promised to fight back and would never allow himself to fall victim to another plot by big businessmen and politicians.

“I have forgiven everybody. I’m already a senior citizen. I will live my life to the fullest. I have to continue serving them. I have unfinished business for the poor,” Estrada said.

“Next time, it will be a different story. I need the big businessmen. So, I have to court them again. I will just show my sincerity and (that) of my government. They cannot accept the fact that I’m a college dropout. I will just show that I will run after grafters in government; improve the peace and order in the country and the food security,” he said.

Estrada admitted the country could not move the economy forward without help from big businessmen.

The former president also denied insinuations of poor health and inability to run a grueling campaign for the 2010 elections.

He said he had more experience in running a campaign than the other presidential candidates.

“My certificate of health is available at the Cardinal Santos Hospital. It’s perfect. I told the director of Cardinal Santos to give it to my reporters. I have general check-up. I do some calisthenics,” he said.

Estrada said he would humbly accept if he loses in the elections next year. “If I lose, that is destiny,” he said.

Credibility, not popularity

It was a different story, however, for former Public Works secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

Undaunted by his low popularity rating among the declared presidential wannabes, Ebdane expressed optimism that he would emerge the winner.

“Whenever I fight, I fight to win,” said the former national police chief before the Pangasinan Press Club forum.

“I know that the Filipino voters had matured,” he said.

Ebdane, who traced his career as former police chief of Dagupan City and later became the provincial police commander of Pangasinan, said the election is not a fight among those who are popular.

“Not necessarily one who is very popular but more on who is credible. There are many factors,” he said.

Ebdane said popularity goes up and down while credibility is a steady factor.

Despite the attacks hurled against him about projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways, particularly the controversial Road User’s Tax, Ebdane said he is ready to face the allegations and show everything was legal.

“It’s now with the Ombudsman finally. That’s the best thing to do,” he said.

Ebdane lamented that he was frequently attacked in the front pages of newspapers but his replies are buried in the inside pages.

He said this had forced him to come out with paid advertisements and leave it to the people to decide on the issue.

“Can you tell me anybody in this country who is clean? Nobody is clean. Nobody has the moral ascendancy to say he is clean,” Ebdane remarked.

He said candidates must not boast they would remove corruption in government. “Do something like what we did in the Public Works,” he said.

Ebdane also told the forum that he had already completed his senatorial lineup under the ticket of Lapiang Manggagawa.

He said he would announce in due time the candidates, as well as his running mate.

Ebdane said he had already assumed the leadership of the party with a pending petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to change it to Workers and Peasants Party.

According to Ebdane, the party already had five or six senatorial candidates, with other parties expressing interest to join and form a common senatorial ticket.

Ebdane added it would not be possible for him to be the running mate of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro since he is not a member of the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

“With regard to Gibo (Teodoro’s nickname) and me, we respect each other professionally,” Ebdane said.

“But if they (Lakas) want to join us, they will have to go through a process,” he said.

Ebdane said he had already laid out the campaign plan that would launch his presidential bid.

“For me it’s the presidency or farming, nothing in between,” he added. “There is no more turning back.”

He boasted of a wide grassroots organization and volunteer groups that would help him during the campaign.

“What I can be proud to say, for every peso that they will spend (in their campaign), I will spend only 25 centavos. In spending, I cannot match them but for people on the ground, they cannot match me,” Ebdane said.

Meanwhile, a militant lawmaker warned farmers would unleash more black propaganda against Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in the effort to neutralize the senator’s presidential bid.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said farmers and farm workers of Hacienda Luisita Inc. would appear before the House oversight committee to testify on the alleged “brazen swindling” of the Aquino and Cojuangco families, owners of the hacienda. – With Eva Visperas, Delon Porcalla