Fernando Poe, Jr.’s candidacy – 2004
Months before the elections, members of the opposition have been encouraging Fernando Poe, Jr., a close friend of former president Joseph Estrada to run for president. Poe was very popular with the masses and it was widely believed that he would be a sure winner if he ran for president.
On November 27, 2003, Poe ended months of speculation by announcing that he will run for president during a press conference held at the Manila Hotel.
However, on January 9, 2004, Victorino X. Fornier (a private citizen) filed a case against Poe and the COMELEC, saying that Poe wasn’t eligible to run for he is not a natural-born Filipino before the COMELEC. On the 23rd of January, the COMELEC dismissed the petition for lack of merit. On February 10, Fornier finally filed the case to the Supreme Court, seeking Poe to be disqualified from the race. His case was later merged with cases filed by Maria Jeanette C. Tecson, and Felix B. Desiderio, Jr., and by Zoilo Antonio G. Velez.
See also
- Official Congressional canvass - 2004
- Election scandal - 2004
- PET Case No. 003, Legarda v. De Castro, January 18, 2008
- COMELEC's move for an automated elections - 2004
- The LDP split - 2004
- Eddie Gil's candidacy - 2004
- Death of Lawyer Maria Jeanette Tecson
- Fernando Poe, Jr.’s candidacy - 2004 (This post)
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s candidacy - 2004
- Philippine General Election - 2004