Erap gives opposition Oct. 15 deadline

By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.

August 25, 2009, 4:28pm - Manila Bulletin

Cebu City — Former President Joseph Estrada is giving opposition leaders until October 15 to come up with an official presidential candidate for 2010 or he will be forced to run for President himself.

Estrada gave such ultimatum during his visit to Cebu last week although apparently, that was the first time United Opposition President, Jejomar Binay heard the former Philippine Chief of State mention a deadline.

Binay, who is also Makati City Mayor as well as head of the PDP-Laban, seemed surprised about Estrada’s pronouncement when a reporter raised the issue while attending the 888 News Forum at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel Tuesday.

According to Binay, who had also made public his interest to run for the Presidency in the 2010 election, Estrada had already began talking with opposition leaders who have expressed their desire to run for such position, with the intention of forging consensus on one common opposition candidate.

“For purposes of unity — kung sagabal ako sa unity sa opposition (if I will be a stumbling block against unity in the opposition) - I am willing to accept and support whoever will be chosen by the group to become the opposition candidate for President,” Binay told reporters in this City Tuesday.

He said leaders from various opposition parties are set to meet within the month to determine who the standard bearer should be that will challenge the administration bet.

He said however the group must follow a certain criteria in choosing the standard bearer and everyone must agree with the results of the meeting. Otherwise, he underlined, the meeting will be useless.

“The group should choose an opposition leader that has a track record and who can present to the people a genuine alternative to the current administration,” said Binay, is also the president of the PDP-Laban party.

If he will not be chosen by the United Opposition to run for president, Binay said he will accept his fate and go back to private law practice instead of running for senator, which he said is not his line, considering his years of experience as urban political executive.

Estrada earlier confirmed meeting with Liberal Party President Sen. Manuel Roxas II in an effort to unify the opposition in the 2010 elections, but the latter has signified his intention to pursue his own interest in running for President.

Estrada also admitted that he would meet with Sen. Francis Escudero, Sen. Manuel Villar, and Binay to ask if they are willing to support a single opposition standard-bearer. All three, at one time or another, have implied their willingness to seek the highest office of the land.

Meanwhile, one other person who had declared her interest in running for President in 2010, Senator Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, underlined that she had no intention of seeking any public position lower than what she is aspiring for.

She said there is no possibility of her sliding down to being a Vice Presidential bet just so the opposition, “under the leadership of former President Joseph Estrada,” could field a common candidate.

“I have already made my statement that I would run as President and nothing else,” Madrigal told reporters after the Senate hearing on the C-5 road project controversy involving another Presidential aspirant, Senator Manuel Villar.

She underlined that she is not open to any negotiation either with the Administration or the opposition.
Speaking in Tagalog, she said, “Kasi para sa akin, ang pulitika hindi negosyo, hindi horse-trading (for me, politics is not a business, its not horse-trading).”