Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines–At the age of 77, movie-actor-turned-politician Joseph Estrada has no immediate plans of seeking the presidency the third time around, or the Manila mayoralty, the second time around.
“For now, I can say that I have no plans of running for higher office,” Estrada told reporters. “My focus is on my work here in Manila, to restore it to its former glory.”
“I inherited a bankrupt city, which was also deep in debt, from the previous administration. Now I can say that by June, we will be debt-free,” said Estrada, who was ousted in 2001, midway through his six-year term as President, in the second people power uprising in the face of allegations of corruption.
Seated behind his desk at Manila City Hall, Estrada looked relaxed as he fielded questions from reporters on Wednesday after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking his ouster as elected mayor of Manila in 2013 and upholding the pardon granted him by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2007 a month after his conviction for plunder.
He previously said that he had no plans of seeking reelection as Manila mayor and that he would support his vice mayor, Isko Moreno, like him a movie actor, as his successor.
“If the vice mayor decides to run for another position, then I might change my mind and run for reelection,” he said with a straight face.
People’s triumph
Estrada’s sons—Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada—hailed Wednesday’s court decision as a triumph of the voice of the people and dismissed suggestions that their father could continue his political career beyond 2016.
“What I know is this will be his last position,” Ejercito told the Inquirer. He said that having won as mayor in 2013, and ended up second behind President Aquino in the 2010 presidential election, Estrada “has nothing more to prove.”
“Personally, I’d rather that he enjoy his retirement, enjoy the time with his family because more than half of his life was spent in public service,” he said. “I think he will retire. In 2016, he’ll be 79.”
Estrada previously said that he’d find himself in a difficult position if both Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Grace Poe, son of his close friend, the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr., would run for President in the next elections.
“For now, as a member of the opposition, he’s supporting Binay. But I heard him say that if Senator Grace decides to run, that will be a difficult situation for him and the family. We don’t need to elaborate how close Erap and FPJ were. That will be an important factor in determining who he will be supporting,” Ejercito said.
Threat to admin bet
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV described Estrada as a “political force” who would become a threat to the administration’s presidential candidate if Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is facing corruption charges, would back out of the 2016 race. “President Erap may be a viable option of the opposition,” he said.
Poe agreed that Estrada retained a huge following, and that he was now free, with the favorable court ruling, to run for higher office in 2016.
“Erap will always be relevant in Philippine politics. He always has that unwavering percentage of the population that supports him. In the short time that he’s in Manila, he has implemented quite a bit of changes,” she said. “Can he run? Of course, anywhere.”
Asked if Estrada would be a threat to her political plans, she replied, chuckling: “I have not said anything like that.”
Malacañang refused to be drawn to speculations on Estrada’s political moves in 2016. “As far as that area is concerned, we will leave it to the political analysts to discuss and dissect,” said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.–With a report from Nikko Dizon