The Manila Times is reporting that Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has deemed former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada ineligible to run for president again in 2010.
Gonzalez on Thursday explained that if Estrada joins the race to Malacañang two years from now, he would be a violating a provision of the Constitution that prohibits a president to run for reelection.
The Constitutional provision in question is Article VII Section 4 which states: “The President shall not be eligible for re-election.”
Gonzalez contends that under the Constitution, Estrada’s abbreviated term would be considered a full term because he served for over two years. After review of the Constitution, this provision could not be found. Please comment if you are able to find the aforementioned provision, so that this post can be edited.
