Chiz: There'll be elections in 2010

BUTUAN CITY – Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said Charter change to extend the term of President Arroyo is already dead as far as the Senate is concerned and the presidential elections in 2010 would take place.

Escudero hinted that seven politicians, mostly from the opposition, would seek the presidency.

But if former President Joseph Estrada succeeds in his unity talks among the opposition, “then it will be narrowed down to two,” he said.

Malacañang said that it sees no reason why the 2010 national elections would not push through, adding that it had nothing to do with the efforts to amend the Constitution.

“The President has always been focused on the economy and planning how to help the people,” Presidential Management Staff Director General Cerge Remonde told radio station dzRB.

Escudero, meanwhile, asked Estrada to identify first who among the present crop of opposition leaders are genuine oppositionists before embarking into unity talks with them.

In a news conference in Surigao City, Escudero said it is important for Estrada to identify who among the current list of presidential hopefuls really belong to the opposition.

He was reacting to Estrada’s statement that he would be forced to seek the presidency in 2010 if the opposition fails to come up with a unified standard bearer.

Escudero refused to confirm if he would join the race, saying he would make a decision when he reaches the required age of 40 on Oct. 10, 2009.

As of now, Escudero said he is not yet qualified to run for president, but would make an announcement on his 40th birthday whether he would run for president or vice president.

He said though he really wants to run while he is young so that he would not be likened to an old, mature and traditional politician “who entered politics like a lamb but retired with seven horns.”

“I like to run now because if I wait until I’m older like them then I would be no different from a trapo (traditional politician),” Escudero said in Filipino.

Escudero, however, hinted that he finds it uncomfortable running, if ever, with Sen. Loren Legarda who he said is not “so opposition” because she was an administration bet in her first election to the Senate.

He said Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay of the United Opposition (UNO), who has signified his intention to seek the presidency in 2010, is the real opposition but would not make a good copycat of US President-elect Barack Obama.

“If the US elected a young president, why can’t the Philippines?” he asked.

He, however, noted the disparity between American and Filipino voters especially in terms of contributing funds to a political campaign.

Escudero said with the exception of Binay and himself, who were with the opposition from the start, other presidentiables who are in the opposition are not genuine.

He said many would like to run under the opposition banner in the 2010 elections because they would have a stronger chance of winning due to the negative popularity rating of President Arroyo.

Erap’s body language

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday said he believes Estrada’s body language shows that he is preparing to run for president in 2010.

He said Estrada “really has intentions to run and he is using this (disunity of the presidentiables) as an excuse.”

But Gonzalez said Estrada’s intention to seek the presidency anew would go against certain conditions of his executive pardon, aside from violating the constitutional provision prohibiting a former president from running again.

“So if there was such a thing (referring to one of the clauses in the executive pardon where Estrada agreed not to participate in any election in exchange for the grant of executive clemency), that could be a violation. But I don’t think we should be concerned about that. We should be concerned about what the Constitution says,” he said. philstar.com