From The Daily Tribune
Link: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100412hed2.html
As his numbers rise in the surveys, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) standard bearer former President Joseph Estrada said the media are again demonizing him.
Estrada, in an interview during a campaign rally in Malabon on Friday, accused GMA-7 of kicking off a demolition job on him when it came out with a report about his Statement of Assets Liabilities and Networth (SALN) a few days ago.
“They have started the smear job against me, about my SALN. It was all too sudden after my rating at number three started to go up,” he said.
Estrada expressed apprehensions that the media would again ruin his image similar to when he was ousted in 2001.
“My ratings have started to improve and the demonization scheme was started by Channel 7
yesterday,” he said. He added that despite such efforts from media his supporters had not left him.
“Inspite of the demonization of the media when I was incarcerated, the people has not left me. To prove that, Dr. Loi, my wife, and my son, Jinggoy, were elected as senators even if I was incarcerated. They were elected as senators when I was behind bars. That goes to show that the masses have never left me inspite of the demonization of the media against me,” he said.
Estrada also compared to his past movies where he has portrayed the role of the underdog who later on always won his fight in the end, his bid for the presidency.
“Like in the movies I have always been an underdog, but in the end I always win,” Estrada told reporters.
Estrada, reacting to reports that he is trailing behind the presidential race in a three-cornered fight between him and senators Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party and Manny Villar of the Nationalista Party, said that he is taking his chances.
“I’m a risk taker ok, I am a risk taker...” he said in an interview that was incessantly interrupted by campaign jingles of his partymates who were delivering their pieces on the stage set up in the middle of a road in Malabon.
Estrada also said that nobody can stop him from pursuing the presidency that was forcibly taken away from him in 2001.
“Nobody can stop me and nobody can make me withdraw. Only death can make me withdraw,” he said despite offers for him to withdraw from the race and despite the party’s meagre resources.
Estrada admitted the presidential race now is much different from when he first campaigned for the presidency against administration candidate, then House Speaker Jose De Venecia, in 1998.
“In 1998 I don’t have congressmen with me and almost no local officials because my opponent was the candidate of the administration, Speaker Jose De Venecia , he said adding that his strategy of going straight to the people could work in his favor as in 1998 when he was also an underdog.
“What i did was go direct to the people,” he said.
“Now I’m slowly inching up,” he added
PMP campaign manager Amb. Ernesto Maceda said political observers and analysts and even Estrada’s nearest rival, Sen. Manny Villar, conceded that Estrada is a force to reckon with in next month’s elections.
“So all of these now are coming out – all favorable to us and even Villar in a newspaper story yesterday said that we should vote on the basis of experience and that’s what we have been saying all along that Erap has the widest and the best experience of the job,” Maceda told reporters during the same rally in Malabon.
Maceda said that Villar has “at least conceded” that from the standard of having the most experience, Erap has to be considered.
“Because he more than qualifies for the experience requirements of no less than Manny Villar,” Maceda said.
“At last now they are conceding that Erap is very much in the fight,” he said. He said that the PMP is now going to step up its campaign in areas where they are not strong.
“Defintely we are stepping up our campaign in the areas where the survey shows that we are not that strong starting with Metro Manila. That’s why you see we were in Pasay yesterday, we are in Malabon Navotas today, we are in Pasig tomorrow, talagang binubogbog naming itong Metro Manila because according to Pulse Asia this is our weakest region, which of course we do not believe,” he said.
He said that they are going campaign continuously until the end of the campaign period.
Estrada added his medical records are open for public scrutiny, amid a challenge hurled by Nacionalista Party vice presidential bet Sen. Loren Legarda to have all presidential and vice presidential candidates to undergo a mental, psychiatric and phyisical exam.
“My records at the hospital are open,” he said.
Legarda challenged all candidates running for president and vice president to submit themselves to a mental/psychological test, amid a a fake document that says Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino suffered a psychiatric ailment.
Estrada said that while the issue on the alleged mental state of Sen. Aquino is below the belt, he does not need to undergo one since his wife, Dra. Loi Ejercito is a psychiatrist.
At a press conference upon her arrival here, Legarda said that the said document on the mental state of Aquino did not come from them.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential aspirant Gilbert Teodoro also said that he is open to a physical exam.
However, when pressed for the psychiatrict exam, Teodoro said that it is a private matter between the doctor and the client, or in this case, the candidate.
But Legarda said that the voting populace has the right to know if Aquino did suffer depression to determine if the candidate, has no mental problems.
Aside from the mental and psychological test, the public should also be infomred of any pending cases by the candidate before any courts.
Legarda was backed up by two other senatorial bets of the NP, Rep.Liza Maza, and Martin Querubin, the son of Col. Ariel Querubin, said that the drug, mental, physical and psychological tests are needed to qualify for the highest position in the land.
Querubin said that the president should be in the right state of mind as he or she will be the one in command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Earlier, Party presidential bet Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. challenged Aquino III to answer the allegations contained in a fake document that says he suffered a psychiatric ailment.
“First of all that document did not come from us. But the allegations were serious. Did he really consult a doctor? At least he denied he never saw a psychiatrist,” Villar said in an interview over radio station dzMM.
Villar went on by saying instead of skirting on the issue, and simply claiming it as a part of a black propaganda against him, his rival should answer the document.
Villar said the voters need straight answers from the candidates, and they have the right to know the state of particularly of the presidential candidates.
As his numbers rise in the surveys, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) standard bearer former President Joseph Estrada said the media are again demonizing him.
Estrada, in an interview during a campaign rally in Malabon on Friday, accused GMA-7 of kicking off a demolition job on him when it came out with a report about his Statement of Assets Liabilities and Networth (SALN) a few days ago.
“They have started the smear job against me, about my SALN. It was all too sudden after my rating at number three started to go up,” he said.
Estrada expressed apprehensions that the media would again ruin his image similar to when he was ousted in 2001.
“My ratings have started to improve and the demonization scheme was started by Channel 7
yesterday,” he said. He added that despite such efforts from media his supporters had not left him.
“Inspite of the demonization of the media when I was incarcerated, the people has not left me. To prove that, Dr. Loi, my wife, and my son, Jinggoy, were elected as senators even if I was incarcerated. They were elected as senators when I was behind bars. That goes to show that the masses have never left me inspite of the demonization of the media against me,” he said.
Estrada also compared to his past movies where he has portrayed the role of the underdog who later on always won his fight in the end, his bid for the presidency.
“Like in the movies I have always been an underdog, but in the end I always win,” Estrada told reporters.
Estrada, reacting to reports that he is trailing behind the presidential race in a three-cornered fight between him and senators Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party and Manny Villar of the Nationalista Party, said that he is taking his chances.
“I’m a risk taker ok, I am a risk taker...” he said in an interview that was incessantly interrupted by campaign jingles of his partymates who were delivering their pieces on the stage set up in the middle of a road in Malabon.
Estrada also said that nobody can stop him from pursuing the presidency that was forcibly taken away from him in 2001.
“Nobody can stop me and nobody can make me withdraw. Only death can make me withdraw,” he said despite offers for him to withdraw from the race and despite the party’s meagre resources.
Estrada admitted the presidential race now is much different from when he first campaigned for the presidency against administration candidate, then House Speaker Jose De Venecia, in 1998.
“In 1998 I don’t have congressmen with me and almost no local officials because my opponent was the candidate of the administration, Speaker Jose De Venecia , he said adding that his strategy of going straight to the people could work in his favor as in 1998 when he was also an underdog.
“What i did was go direct to the people,” he said.
“Now I’m slowly inching up,” he added
PMP campaign manager Amb. Ernesto Maceda said political observers and analysts and even Estrada’s nearest rival, Sen. Manny Villar, conceded that Estrada is a force to reckon with in next month’s elections.
“So all of these now are coming out – all favorable to us and even Villar in a newspaper story yesterday said that we should vote on the basis of experience and that’s what we have been saying all along that Erap has the widest and the best experience of the job,” Maceda told reporters during the same rally in Malabon.
Maceda said that Villar has “at least conceded” that from the standard of having the most experience, Erap has to be considered.
“Because he more than qualifies for the experience requirements of no less than Manny Villar,” Maceda said.
“At last now they are conceding that Erap is very much in the fight,” he said. He said that the PMP is now going to step up its campaign in areas where they are not strong.
“Defintely we are stepping up our campaign in the areas where the survey shows that we are not that strong starting with Metro Manila. That’s why you see we were in Pasay yesterday, we are in Malabon Navotas today, we are in Pasig tomorrow, talagang binubogbog naming itong Metro Manila because according to Pulse Asia this is our weakest region, which of course we do not believe,” he said.
He said that they are going campaign continuously until the end of the campaign period.
Estrada added his medical records are open for public scrutiny, amid a challenge hurled by Nacionalista Party vice presidential bet Sen. Loren Legarda to have all presidential and vice presidential candidates to undergo a mental, psychiatric and phyisical exam.
“My records at the hospital are open,” he said.
Legarda challenged all candidates running for president and vice president to submit themselves to a mental/psychological test, amid a a fake document that says Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino suffered a psychiatric ailment.
Estrada said that while the issue on the alleged mental state of Sen. Aquino is below the belt, he does not need to undergo one since his wife, Dra. Loi Ejercito is a psychiatrist.
At a press conference upon her arrival here, Legarda said that the said document on the mental state of Aquino did not come from them.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential aspirant Gilbert Teodoro also said that he is open to a physical exam.
However, when pressed for the psychiatrict exam, Teodoro said that it is a private matter between the doctor and the client, or in this case, the candidate.
But Legarda said that the voting populace has the right to know if Aquino did suffer depression to determine if the candidate, has no mental problems.
Aside from the mental and psychological test, the public should also be infomred of any pending cases by the candidate before any courts.
Legarda was backed up by two other senatorial bets of the NP, Rep.Liza Maza, and Martin Querubin, the son of Col. Ariel Querubin, said that the drug, mental, physical and psychological tests are needed to qualify for the highest position in the land.
Querubin said that the president should be in the right state of mind as he or she will be the one in command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Earlier, Party presidential bet Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. challenged Aquino III to answer the allegations contained in a fake document that says he suffered a psychiatric ailment.
“First of all that document did not come from us. But the allegations were serious. Did he really consult a doctor? At least he denied he never saw a psychiatrist,” Villar said in an interview over radio station dzMM.
Villar went on by saying instead of skirting on the issue, and simply claiming it as a part of a black propaganda against him, his rival should answer the document.
Villar said the voters need straight answers from the candidates, and they have the right to know the state of particularly of the presidential candidates.
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