This is in reaction to the editorial ?Voting for Erap.? (Inquirer, 10/26/09) It is disappointing, to say the least, to see how the nation?s leading newspaper would resort to great lengths just to put former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in a bad light. It is still seven months before the next presidential elections in 2010 and mudslinging has already started.

It seems there is a deliberate attempt by the Inquirer to demolish the integrity and character of President Estrada and impose its opinion as the universal truth.

No one has a monopoly of the truth.

We all should be partners in nation-building. We all have our own advocacies, but at the end of the day, what we all want is what is best for the Filipino people. President Estrada is running to give hope to the marginalized sector of society?the masang Pilipino. No matter what his critics say, he only wants to uplift their quality of life. And that is the truth.

May I humbly remind our friends in the Inquirer that the media is a powerful tool, and those in the profession should exercise the concomitant power responsibly. Print media should not be used as a seeming mouthpiece to favor any candidate, popular as he may be at present. More so, they should not serve as a tool to besmirch the reputation of others.

Gauging from President Estrada?s ?Lakbay Pasasalamat? visits to roughly 70 provinces, one can see the outpouring of love and support for the man. He was received warmly everywhere he went and, in fact, was mobbed by supporters?the masses?in each and every locality he visited. Hordes of people would flock to him at the slightest notice. Doubtless, President Estrada still enjoys the trust and confidence of the Filipino people. The fondness of the Filipino for him has not waned throughout the years.

Why should the Inquirer be afraid of President Estrada? Why should the people be deprived of the chance to elect him again for president?

Sovereignty resides in the Filipino people, and all government authority emanates from them. Let?s leave the Filipino people to decide, through the ballot, whether they want Estrada back as president. This is a political question best reserved to the electorate, not just to a chosen few. The vote is the expression of a people?s sovereignty. It is a basic principle that the voters are the ultimate source of established authority.

The PMP firmly believes that President Estrada is the most qualified person to move this country forward. He possesses a no-frills and no-nonsense leadership. He, along with the PMP, sincerely champions the cause of the masses.

The PMP remains the only political party whose main concern is the protection and upliftment of the lives of the Filipino masses. The PMP is 100-percent behind President Estrada.

This presidential sequel in 2010 will be a happy ending for the Filipino masses.

?RALPH CALINISAN, CPA,
for Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino,
unitedopposition.
media@gmail.com