Erap has ‘winning chance’ – Palace

Is ousted President Joseph Estrada really destined to reclaim the highest post in the land, as he insinuated during his visit to Malacañang on Tuesday, nine years after he was overthrown? When asked by reporters if he felt he would be back in Malacañang this year to replace President Arroyo, Estrada replied with a hearty laugh: “That's destiny." Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III seemed to agree, saying that the former president has a “winning chance." At a press briefing, Bello said he does not think Estrada was wishfully thinking when he claimed that his return to the Palace, upon invitation to attend a National Security Council (NSC) convention, was an auspicious start for the forthcoming elections. “We cannot prevent him from doing that. Everybody is free to aspire for what he dreams. If the former president feels that he will become the next president again, we will have to respect him for that," Bello said.
Estrada stepped down from the presidency in January 2001 at the height of the second People Power uprising triggered by public outrage over accusations of corruption and attempts to undermine his impeachment. Estrada was superseded by then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In September 2007, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan convicted him of plunder, but President Arroyo pardoned him a month later. Since then, Estrada has made public his intentions to continue what he calls interrupted service to the poor. He has consistently ranked third as the most desired candidate to win the elections. During the NSC convention, Mrs. Arroyo and Estrada were “cordial" to each other, according to Press Secretary Cerge Remonde who sat four to five seats away from them. The leaders shook hands, sat beside each other, and exchanged pleasantries, he added. It seemed like no one overheard what Estrada and President Arroyo were discussing, but Bello said they had “good chemistry" and probably exchanged “sweet nothings." The issues discussed in the meeting include the automated elections, the dismantling of private armies, and the recovery of loose firearms. Estrada’s presence made the convention significant because this was his first time to attend such event under the Arroyo administration since he left Malacañang in 2001. Also present in the meeting were Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Cabinet secretaries. – Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV