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Talk about comebacks.  Joseph Estrada just staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in Philippine political history.

And also the most exasperating.

Remarkable is pretty self-explanatory, “exasperating,” prolly a lot less so.

But consider this. Estrada’s new run for the presidency (caveat lector: GET A GRIP! He hasn’t filed a certificate of candidacy yet!) is predicated on his belief that he is qualified to run again for the Presidency, and that his doing so will result in his vindication from the plunder conviction handed down to him.

As to the first, his belief in his eligibility to run is most exasperating because it is based on a legal opinion crafted by HIS lawyers. I mean, since it is his lawyers crafting an opinion for him, then it’s pretty inevitable that these lawyers will make sure that the opinion they finally present him with will be exactly what he wants that opinion to be.

The legal profession isn’t about right or wrong, true or false. Lawyering is about what is permissible under the law. In this case, his lawyers were tasked not to determine if he could run again, but to find a way to justify  a re-election push.

It is doubly exasperating because, from what they’ve released so far, it appears that their justification is based on grammatical hair-splitting.

The third exasperating thing about Estrada’s planned run is that it is framed as a vindication process. And for this, his people have not been shy in appropriating the Supreme Court’s words:

“The better policy approach is to let the people decide who will be the next president. For on political questions, this Court may err but the sovereign people will not.”

Never mind that the quote came from the case of Fernando Poe Jr.’s citizenship, making the case so not on all-fours with Estrada’s, the fact is, Estrada’s eligibility is not a political question. It is all just a matter of determining whether his personal circumstances reflect those circumstances that, under the 1986 charter, preclude another shot at the presidency.

Lessee: the charter sez the President cannot run for re-election. So, applying these basic criteria to Estrada …

Served as president? Check!

Trying to be re-elected (syn: elected again) as president? Check!

Therefore … cannot run!

A clearer cut set of circumstances you can scarcely find.

But, in order to justify a re-election bid, Estrada’s legal eagles are now trying to introduce new variables.

Sure he served as president, BUT he didn’t finish his term! Sure he’s trying to be elected, but the Consti said “THE” president, so therefore it must be referring to the incumbent as no other can be “THE” president. And leave us not forget, “RE-election” carries with the sense of immediacy – that the person seeking RE-election stands in close proximity to the new election, such as say …. nuninuni … oh, right! such as the incumbent!

LOL.

And finally, the fourth source of exasperation is the notion that being voted into office again is proof of his innocence of plunder.

Riiiiiiiiiiiight. All you wisdom of the crowd fetishists should have a field day with this. LOL!!! But seriously, just once, I hope we can have a presidential candidate who does not treat us all like retarded children.

Not like Estrada.

I wonder what Nicky “Nicanorgasm” Perlas can say about this….

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Written by rom

Rom is a twenty-one year old experiment. She began life with the notion that she was a Filipino-Chinese Ilongga. Now, she just thinks of herself as Ilongga, having realized that she has failed at being Chinese. At least that's what her aku told her upon learning that she had fallen in love with a Filipino.

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