MOPC's presidentiables series

We had a very successful night at the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) last Tuesday, which marked the start of our ‘Presidentiables Series.’ As pointed out by MOPC chair Tony Lopez, the word “presidentiables” does not really exist in any dictionary. It is just a Filipino invention because there are so many people who want to run for president. All senators want to run for president; Cabinet secretaries want to run for president; priests want to be president – so much so that one is even tempted to also run for president. So we decided to start the series with former – and who knows, future – president Joseph Estrada who, according to a recent survey, has inched up to number one, followed by Chiz Escudero and Manny Villar. Judging from recent events, history is about to be made because, as I told the audience last Tuesday, the former president is determined to “correct history.”

We had an unusually bigger crowd, with the Grand Ballroom of the InterCon jam-packed with diplomats and businessmen (both local and from the foreign chambers). Several Masscom students from Letran waited for four hours just to be able to see the former president. And when Erap found out why they were there, he agreed to have his photo taken with in his usual charming manner, invited them to go in and listen – much to the thrill of the young people. Many who had not had a chance to listen to Joseph Estrada after 2001 were clearly impressed at the former president’s composure and confidence as he gave his keynote address.

Estrada has a way of charming his audiences through his wit and self-deprecating humor which has a tendency to make people warm up to him because it projects him as a man comfortable in his own skin, not stuck-up and with no hang-ups whatsoever. Many who saw his DVD titled “Destiny: Power Returns to the Masses” couldn’t help but admit that it was a powerful tool that gave them a different perspective on Joseph Estrada – with some even reluctantly admitting they now see the former president not so much as a politician but one who puts the welfare of the poor Filipino masses above all else. 

He continues to say that EDSA Dos was a loss for democracy and a defeat of due process, quoting Supreme Court Justice and 1987 Constitutional Commission chair Cecilia Muñoz-Palma who said the impeachment trial was “unceremoniously disrupted and discontinued, and the issues on hand were brought to the streets. The rule of law was set aside and the rule of force prevailed.” Even Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew said as much, commenting that EDSA Dos was no boost for democracy because it was done “outside the Constitution.”

When the late president Cory Aquino apologized to Erap and admitted that EDSA Dos was a mistake, Joseph Estrada said he felt vindicated. This admission meant a lot to him because Mrs. Aquino’s words carried a lot of weight. Everyone knows Cory helped oust Erap and that they were on opposite sides of the fence. But as fate would have it, they even became good friends. During his speech, he praised the late president the mother of this nation. 

During the open forum, the former president answered pointed questions from Philippine Star’s Marichu Villanueva and Karl Wilson of the Agence France Presse. Karl wanted Erap to already declare if he was running and to name his potential running mate – a question deftly fielded by the former president who said he is still trying to unite the opposition. Obviously, the defeat of his best friend, Fernando Poe Jr., in the 2004 elections had been a painful lesson, which is why Erap is emphatic about fielding just one candidate because it would make cheating difficult. 

Although he has not declared his candidacy, Estrada did not mince words: he will run if the opposition presidentiables will not agree to unite under one candidate. As for his potential running mate – he calls all of them – Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Mar Roxas, Jojo Binay and the others as “qualified,” but he cautions that if they find out that they are not winnable, they may just decide to slide down as vice president. Those who are planning to run for president should first get the pulse of the people and assess their chances of wining, he advises, obviously referring to his experience in 1992 when he agreed to slide down as vice president because at the time, he correctly assessed that he did not have the machinery and the organization to win the top post in the land. 

Marichu bluntly asked if the former president was not worried about legal obstacles to his candidacy – to which Erap succinctly replied: “I believe in destiny,” quoting Chief Justice Reynato Puno who said in a legal opinion that “the better policy approach is to let the people decide who will be the next president. For on political reasons, this court (SC) may err but the sovereign people will not.” 

True to fashion, Joseph Estrada ended the night with a parting shot: that whatever he decides must be for the greater good of the greater number of people – and that greater number is no other than the masses. It couldn’t get any clearer than that: he believes he will win because he continues to be popular with the people who compose the majority of the electorate which is the masa.

There is still a long way to go before the May 2010 elections, and MOPC along with business groups like the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Philippines, Inc. will be inviting other presidentiables in a forum, using the same kind of format that would allow them to answer questions that would help make people see who among the presidentiables deserve to lead this country for the next six years.

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