Chief Justice Puno denies giving OK to Erap’s presidential bid
The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied that Chief Justice Reynato Puno is endorsing the second presidential bid of ousted leader President Joseph Estrada. The denial, coursed through SC spokesman Midas Marquez, came after Puno's opinion in the Tecson vs. Commission on Elections case was included in the political advertisement for Estrada that appeared in major dailies on Wednesday. âThe 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. To be sure, the Constitution did not grant to the unelected members of this court the right to elect in behalf of the people," read Punoâs opinion in the two-page ad with heading âListen to the Voices of History."
According to a GMA News report, Marquez said that Puno wrote his opinion solely for the case and that Estradaâs camp used Punoâs quote and picture without the chief justiceâs permission. The two-page ad came out the same day Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay officially announced their tandem for the 2010 elections despite legal questions on the former presidentâs eligibility to run again for president. â GMANews.TV