Erap can't run for president again

There's a signature campaign going on. They've gathered 80,000 signatures so far. They plan to collect a total of six million in the coming months. All to convince former President Joseph Estrada to run for president in 2010.

What a monumental waste of time.

Let's brush aside, for the moment, the fact that Estrada was convicted of plunder, and the fact that under the terms of his pardon he agreed not to run for public office. There's a much bigger reason that he cannot run for president in 2010.

Article VII, Section 4

The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date, six years thereafter. The President shall not be eligible for any re-election.

Not be eligible for any re-election.

Any re-election.

Any.

There was a similar signature campaign around 1997 or so, which supposedly gathered four million signatures aimed at getting then President Fidel Ramos to run for re-election. And this confused me at the time because I understood, even as a 12 year old, that the rule of law is bigger than any signature campaign.

I'm quite sure the Supreme Court understands that as well, even if Estrada and his supporters do not.