Comelec to petition to disqualify Estrada soon

Estrada to run again? I don't think so. I think Estrada should be disqualified and he should just support a candidate. His image and reputation has been too tainted and he would just be contributing to the already damaged image of the country. And besides, I don't think he's even qualified to begin with. He already exhausted his chances in the past so it's time to give others the chance.

Here is the article by Mayen Jaymalin of STAR :

COMELEC RULING ON PETITION TO DISQUALIFY ERAP OUT SOON

MANILA, DECEMBER 7, 2009 (STAR) By Mayen Jaymalin - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will soon come out with a ruling on the petition to disqualify former President Joseph Estrada from running in the May 2010 presidential race.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the commission is aware of the importance of an early decision on Estrada’s case.


He said the commissioners want to decide on the case immediately because they are expecting the issue to reach the Supreme Court.

“We want to give the SC more time to tackle it. The sooner it is out of the Comelec’s hands, the sooner the SC will have time to resolve it,” Jimenez explained.

A second petition calling for the disqualification of Estrada was filed before the Comelec last Saturday.

Lawyer Evillo Pormento said Estrada should be disqualified from running as president because it violates the 1987 Philippine Constitution, particularly Article VII Sec. 4, which states that the president shall not be eligible for any re-election.

The complainant said Estrada should be declared a nuisance candidate and be excluded from the official list of candidates to be printed in the ballots.

The complainant said that allowing Estrada to run is a clear violation of the 1987 Constitution and a bad precedent because other former presidents might also seek re-election.

Lawyer Oliver Lozano had earlier asked the Comelec to disqualify Estrada, but his petition was dismissed because the former president had not yet filed his certificate of candidacy.

The Comelec is hoping to finalize the list of candidates before the end of 2009, since printing of ballots starts in January 2010.

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The result of the Aquino/Roxas tandem to some of the members of the opposition

Some members of the opposition said that the formal announcement of Aquino/Roxas tandem may possibly close the door to unity.
Former President Joseph Estrada said he is still determined to run in 2010 and has no plan to ask Aquino to give way. But he would like to talk to Aquino about having a single lineup for the senatorial and local positions.
Loren Legarda, on the other hand, is looking into a possible Legarda/Escudero-Escudero/Legarda tandem in which she believes will also have its strength. She also said the fight will be a friendly one but the level of debate is high and issues would be at the forefront of the campaign.
But Villar still has no team, and Escudero and Legarda both shared the same opinion that Villar will need a credible team because of the recent issues he had that affected his record in politics. But with Willie Revillame as his strong supporter, things might change for Villar.

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Erap announced that he won't give way to Noynoy

ABS-CBN reports, Erap won't give way to Noynoy. This is an example of how dirty our politics is. A president at one time, found guilty of plunder, sentenced but later pardoned by Arroyo, and now aspires to run again for president. I say "nakakaloka, hindi ko 'to kinaya!"

Estrada, 72, derided Senator Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III, who earlier on Wednesday declared his candidacy in the May 10, 2010 election, 40 days after his mother's death. He dismissed the younger Aquino as a candidate of the rich.

"It doesn't change a thing. My plan is unchanged," Estrada, 72, told AFP, commenting on the bid by Aquino and another announcement by the mayor of Manila's financial district, Jejomar Binay, that he would no longer run.

"Let us let the people decide, not the elites and the bourgeois," Estrada said.

People are confused with Estrada calling for unity and yet he is causing division to the opposition. Estrada may be a popular politician but his record was tainted badly as one of the world's corrupt leaders together with Marcos. So why would anyone vote for Estrada? I wonnder.

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