Bacani: No to Erap Comeback

MANILA, Jan. 21, 2010-Retired Catholic Bishop Teodoro Bacani maintains he is against Joseph's Estrada's comeback bid for the presidency, saying the country needs a new leader.

Bacani, one of Estrada's spiritual advisers, said it's a high time to have genuine reforms in the government and that includes filling it up with better leaders.

"Personally, I am against his candidacy because the country really needs real reforms... wherein there is a new leader who will lead us," he said.

Bacani, a critic of the Arroyo administration, made the statement Thursday after the Commission on Elections allowed the former president to run again the May 2010 polls.

The poll body's second division yesterday issued the ruling dismissing the disqualification case filed by a certain Evelio Pormento citing its lack of merit and adding that they would let the people decide who will be the next president.

Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution states that: "The President shall not be eligible for any reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time".

But Bacani has welcomed the Comelec ruling, adding that it is a good decision on the part of the poll body to leave the matter to the people.

He admitted that even the 1987 Constitution, wherein he was one of the framers, unwittingly left a "gap" that would allow Estrada to gun for the Malacañang post again.

"Although, I believe that the Convention was really intent on barring all who have held the post of president from running again, there is still a small opening that allows Erap to run again," said Bacani, who was a member of the Constitutional Convention. (CBCPNews)