Candidacies of accused plunderers show disrespect of democracy —Kiko

The candidacies for the Senate of former senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. showed "disrespect and cynicism" in the country's electoral system, Senator Francis Pangilinan said on Wednesday.

Enrile, Revilla and Estrada are all facing plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam. All have filed their certificates of candidacy to run for the Senate in the 2019 elections.

"That shows the level of disrespect and cynicism in our democracy and electoral system," said Pangilinan, the campaign manager of the opposition coalition slate for next year's polls.

Of the three plunder defendants, only Revilla remained in detention while he stood trial, which wrapped up last month.

Enrile and Estrada are out on bail while their trial is ongoing.

Enrile, now 94, was granted bail by the Supreme Court for his "fragile" state of health, but claimed Tuesday night that he is physically and mentally fit for a Senate comeback.

However, even in the event of a plunder conviction, the three would not necessarily be disqualified from office, according to Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang.

"Conviction per se is not a disqualification. The judgment of conviction must be final and executory," Tang said, explaining that if there is a pending motion for reconsideration of a judgment of conviction, "the disqualification does not yet attach."

Opposition slate 'pro-democracy,' 'pro-poor'

Pangilinan urged the public to vote for the opposition slate, composed of Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, De La Salle University law dean Chel Diokno, former Bangsamoro Transition Commission member Samira Gutoc, former solicitor general Florin Hilbay, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, former senator Mar Roxas, and former House deputy speaker Erin Tañada.

He said these opposition bets were vetted from names submitted by the involved groups—the Liberal Party, Akbayan, Magdalo, Aksyon Demokratiko, Tindig Pilipinas, and "some cause-oriented groups."

Pangilinan said the LP candidates were against the "anti-democratic and anti-poor" policies of the Duterte administration and are instead "pro-democracy, pro-poor, and pro-progress."

"Specifically, we believe that a creeping authoritarianism describes our national political situation," Pangilinan said.

"We believe we have to reclaim wider democratic spaces to push our common agenda of a progressive and prosperous Philippines primarily through the 2019 elections," he added. —NB, GMA News