Jeep ni Erap back on the road, eyes 15M votes

By Norman Bordadora (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100320-259775/Jeep-ni-Erap-back-on-the-road-eyes-15M-votes
MANILA, Philippines—With former president Joseph Estrada still lagging behind two presidential candidates, the group that helped him win in 1998 has vowed to give Estrada an extra push that will translate to a bigger winning margin in his comeback bid. 

Members of the Jeep ni Erap, the group that the Estrada camp credits as “greatly responsible for the 1998 victory,” held a kickoff rally Friday at the Club Filipino in Estrada’s home city of San Juan.

“President Estrada’s survey ratings are at 18 percent now but we will make sure that this is at least 30 percent by end of April,” Jeep chair Horacio “Boy” Morales said. 

“If he won by 11 million votes in 1998, this time we will deliver at least 15 million votes,” he added.

Morales is a longtime leader of the Estrada’s Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and was the former President’s secretary of agrarian reform during his short-lived administration.

Estrada described Jeep ni Erap as a nationwide group of small and middle-income businessmen that have volunteered to help deliver the votes in May.

Jeep, during the Estrada administration, stood for justice, economy, environment and peace, areas that the former actor pledged would be given top priority.

There are now two volunteer groups helping Estrada at the community-level campaign, both named after public utility vehicles used by poor folk. They are Traysikel ni Erap and the re-launched Jeep ni Erap.

In an earlier interview, PMP vice president Cagayan De Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the Jeep Ni Erap and Traysikel Ni Erap campaigns would involve a network of volunteers that could grow to around seven million supporters.