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By Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter
THE current administration will benefit if
former President Joseph Estrada makes another bid for the presidency
in the 2010 national elections, President Gloria Arroyo’s lawyer
said Sunday.
“The administration would be happy if Estrada
runs in 2010,” Romulo Macalintal, President Arroyo’s election
lawyer, said. “If he joins the contest together with Senators Mar
Roxas and Manny Villar, it would divide the opposition. Eventually,
if Erap had the biggest vote and got disqualified in the middle of
the game, the trouble will begin.”
He added that voters do not usually support
candidates whose qualifications are being questioned.
“How can you support a candidate facing
possible disqualification?” Macalintal asked. “In the entire
duration of your campaign, what you’ll do would be to defend
yourself instead of discussing your programs,” he said over a
radio interview.
He also expressed doubts on the motive of those
pushing for the candidacy of Estrada in the 2010 presidential
elections, arguing that it has no legal basis.
“I think his lawyers know this and for those
who support the former president, I believe they just want the
public to see that Erap still has supporters,” he said, adding
that it is undeniable that Estrada remains popular among the masses.
Macalintal also believes presidential aspirants
from the opposition will yield to Estrada if he decides to run in
2010 and will even ask him to get them as his running mate because
they know he will be disqualified. Plus, they can take over the post
if that happens, he added.
Estrada has time and again denied he’s seeking
the presidency in 2010, adding that he would work for a single
opposition bet to ensure victory in the polls. But he also said he
may be forced to run again, if the opposition fails to unite behind
one presidential candidate.
And lately, supporters have come out with
stickers bearing “Erap 2010,” perhaps an indication that the
former Philippine leader will make another run for the presidency.
GMA confident
In her Easter message, President Arroyo said she
remains unfazed by the political noise caused by her critics, saying
there are more Filipinos who want the country to move forward.
“Let us all pray that all of us can draw from
Easter the lessons that encourage us to work for the resurgence of
an economically, politically and morally stronger Philippines,”
she said.
The President also alluded to the Filipinos’
religious background and faith in God as a source of inspiration to
lead the country out of poverty.
“With determination and Divine providence,
we’re building a new Philippines, breaking free from decades of
debt, decline and underdevelopment,” Mrs. Arroyo said, adding that
she remains bullish on the country’s performance and optimistic
about the future.
The President’s critics have been calling for
her resignation over bribery and corruption allegations in the
scuttled $330-million national broadband project with China’s ZTE
Corp.
In her earlier statement, Mrs. Arroyo said she
would not be swayed by the critics to step down and vowed to finish
her term in 2010.
Former President Estrada, convicted of plunder
but later pardoned by President Arroyo last year, has joined calls
of other groups for the President to resign.
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