Erap on re-election bid: Age doesn't matter

Not even old age can stop former President Joseph Estrada from seeking presidency again. “(United States) President Ronald Reagan is my idol," said Estrada, 72, during a weekly news forum in the Senate on Thursday. Reagan was elected to the White House when he was 73 and re-elected at 77. Like Estrada, he was also a former actor. Estrada was reacting to the statement of former President Fidel Ramos, who had urged him to give way to younger presidential aspirants in next year's national elections. “I’m just trying to defend my age," he said.

The actor-turned-politician had earlier said he is 99.99 percent ready to seek re-election next year. He said he is likely to announce his presidential bid in September. Estrada won the presidency in 1998 but was deposed in 2001 following a corruption scandal. He was convicted of plunder in 2007 but was later pardoned by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Whether or not Estrada can run again for president is still the subject of heated debate. At least two delegates who drafted the 1987 Constitution - Fr. Joaquin Bernas and Christian Monsod - said the Charter prohibits a second chance for Estrada. Article VII, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution states that, “The President shall not be eligible for any reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time." But Estrada’s camp argues that the constitutional ban on the reelection of presidents only applies to “sitting presidents" running again following the end of their term and those who have completed their terms. - GMANews.TV