Did Erap junk Binay?

MANILA, Philippines - Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) presidential bet former President Joseph Estrada insisted yesterday he voted for a vice presidential candidate despite video and photo close-ups showing he had not inked in his choice of vice president.

Videos and photographs of Estrada’s ballot have been circulating in the Internet after the former president was photographed at a polling precinct in Pedro Cruz Elementary School located at Lope K. Santos St., Barangay Pedro Cruz in San Juan City.

 “Of course not,” was Estrada’s reaction when asked if he had junked his running mate, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, despite close-up photographs of his ballot showing the space for vice presidential candidates had not been shaded in.

Estrada explained that he indeed missed the name of Binay during his first reading of the ballot, but on his second and third reading of the ballot he shaded Binay’s name and also the other candidates of the PMP.

He said he left his kodigo or list of candidates with his aide, that’s why he had a hard time finding the names of his candidates.

He also said he almost failed to vote for his son San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito who is running for congressman of the city and two councilors because of the small print in the ballot of the automated elections.

Estrada said voters with poor eyesight have difficulty reading the small letters of the ballot, which might be among the problems that have to be solved in the automated polls.

“I read the ballots three times because I had difficulty reading it. JV and I have the same name Joseph and I thought that my name was just repeated in the ballot. I don’t have a list of those that I would vote for,” Estrada said.

Estrada said many voters might have been disenfranchised in yesterday’s automated presidential elections because the voters are not familiar with the new system.

“I’m apprehensive over the possibility of many voters disenfranchised because they are not familiar with the system. It is something new for them. Some voters complained about the long queue in polling precincts and the difficulty of reading the ballots, especially voters with poor eyesight,” Estrada said.

Estrada said these problems might result in a low turnout of voters.

He said he received reports from his leaders in various provinces in Luzon that some voters decided to return home because they could not stay in the long lines for hours in the heat at the polling precincts.

“The common complaint is long lines. This is the first time that Filipinos will vote using a new system. I’m appealing to the Comelec (Commission on Elections) to extend the voting time till 10 p.m. I’m expecting a low turnout of votes, especially the older ones,” Estrada said.

Despite these fears, Estrada gave double V signs and double thumbs up signs after casting his vote as sequence no. 65 in precinct no. 132-B of cluster no. 35 at the Pedro Cruz Elementary School from 11:55 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.