Lawyer: Only Cory can run among ex-presidents

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said if any living Philippine presidents are qualified to run in the 2010 elections, it would be the first woman Chief Executive of the country – former President Corazon Aquino. Macalintal said unlike former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada, as well as President Arroyo who were all elected presidents in 1992, 1998 and 2004, respectively, Aquino was never elected in 1986. He said the Constitution prohibits an elected president to seek reelection or another term of office. “Kung sakali mang may mga pangulo ng Pilipinas na maari pang tumakbo, iyan ay walang iba kundi ang dating pangulong Cory Aquino. Si Cory Aquino lamang ang maaring tumakbo muli bilang pangulo ng Pilipinas sapagkat sa ilalim ng ating Saligang Batas, Cory Aquino was never elected president," Macalintal said. Macalintal said Estrada, who has been reported to being considered as the opposition’s bet is already disqualified to run because Section 4 of Article 7 or the Executive Department, states that “the President shall not be eligible for any reelection." He said Estrada knows this and despite his failure to serve a complete six year term, he has been elected into office in 1998 for a full six-year term which was cut short when he stepped down in 2001. “Maski ang decision ng Korte Suprema ay siya (Estrada) ay nag-resign noong January 20, 2001 and decisions of the Supreme Court form part of the law of the land. So ibig sabihin iyang desisyun na iyan ay bahagi na ng ating batas," he said. Estrada earlier said he could still run in 2010 after being given a full pardon by Arroyo but he ha snot plans at the moment to do so. He said he prefers to focus on uniting the opposition in preparation for the next presidential elections. Ed Malay, spokesperson of Ramos, said if Estrada would be allowed to run in 2010, the allies and supporters of Ramos would also encourage and convince him to run against Estrada. Malay said many people believe in the capabilities and leadership of Ramos. “Kami na nasa hanay na mga kaibigan at naniniwala pa rin sa liderato ni dating pangulong Fidel V. Ramos ay kukumbinsihin siya. Kami ay gagawa ng paraan upang makumbinsi ang dating pangulong Fidel V. Ramos na tumayo at tumapat na rin," he said. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Antonio Apostol said that while the pardon grant to Estrada would not prevent him from vying for the top post in 2010, Estrada – along with Ramos and Aquino – are prohibited by the 1987 Constitution from running. He contradicted Macalintal in saying that Aquino had not been elected to office in 1986. He said Aquino run and got elected. “At that time, according to her camp, she (Aquino) was cheated, and then (former President Ferdinand) Marcos was ousted so she assumed office. She was an elected President so she can’t run for another term. She should follow the 1987 Constitution, which was called the Cory Constitution," he said. He added that “aggrieved parties" could file disqualification cases against Aquino, Ramos or Estrada if any of them runs in 2010 based on the provision of the 1987 Constitution. Apostol , who is also the Regional chairman for Eastern Visayas and spokesman of the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats, said their party has a “deep bench" where they could get their next standard bearer adding that they do not need to resort to backing former presidents to vie in the 2010 presidential elections. He said there are even talks of possible coalition with other parties which could be another source of their possible bets. He cited that there is a possibility of opposition senator Panfilo Lacson joining Lakas and could be a candidate. Vice President Noli De Castro is also another potential candidate, he said. “Lakas has a deeper bench than any party in the country. Senator Ping Lacson nagpaparinig na sa Lakas, he wants to join the administration party and Lakas is seriously considering it. Another potential bet is Noli de Castro," he said. Apostol said Lakas is becoming stronger and it is “the party in power" which means that it has an organization from the national down to the precinct level. “If somebody runs under Lakas, he will have an organization until the precinct level," he added.