MANILA, 5 March 2004 — Opposition presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. should offer the Philippine electorate more than his “silence” by agreeing to face his rivals in a public debate, another aspirant Raul Roco said yesterday.

FPJ, as Poe is fondly called, returned to the campaign trail with renewed vigor yesterday after the Supreme Court rejected an effort to disqualify him from presidential elections, clearing the way for a May 10 showdown with incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Poe’s opponents argued that he failed to meet the requirement that a presidential candidate be a natural-born Philippine citizen. They claimed that his out-of-wedlock birth to an American mother meant he’s actually a US citizen.

But the justices voted 8-5 Wednesday to uphold an earlier Elections Commission decision rejecting the argument and declared Poe is indeed a natural-born Filipino.

The court decision eased fears of a violent backlash by Poe supporters if he was booted from the race.

The most recent opinion polls have Poe and Arroyo in a virtual tie in their battle for a six-year term, well ahead of three other candidates.

Roco, a former education secretary and senator, was a far third and was getting more aggressive in attacking the capability of the front-runner.

“Poe should be ashamed of himself. If he still insists on keeping quiet, what can the Filipino voters expect in a Poe presidency? Silence?” Roco said in a statement.

Now that the Supreme Court has cleared the legal obstacle for his presidential bid, Roco said Poe “should stop hiding behind his advisers’ back” and agree to participate in the debate, which could also be a forum for candidates to present and defend their platform of government.

He added: “Poe must realize that this is what democracy is all about. A resounding clash of ideas that generate solutions towards the alleviation of our people’s economic problems, their social concerns, and hopes for tomorrow.”

“If he does not understand this, he has no business running for any public office,” Roco added.

Poe has reiterated that he was not inclined to debate with the other presidential candidates. The chief of his party’s media bureau, Rodolfo Reyes, said they would try to convince the actor and would give a final answer on March 10.

Folk Hero

Speaking with reporters in the central city of Tacloban yesterday while in a vigorous nationwide campaign, Poe said the court ruling was a morale and confidence booster. “It feels like a thorn was pulled out of me,” he said.

A reclusive political neophyte, Poe said the disqualification effort, questioning his citizenship, hurt him deeply and urged rivals to stop personal attacks. The court decision will prompt hesitant donors to back him fully and local politicians to gravitate to his camp, he said.

A few thousand supporters greeted Poe with wild cheers in a coastal village in Leyte province, congratulating him for overcoming the legal obstacle.

“Now FPJ is a sure winner,” said Ricardo Rubio, 70, an impoverished laborer.

Accompanied by his running mate, popular TV broadcaster and Sen. Loren Legarda, Poe sang a love song for the crowd and said: “Just for you, I will go through the eye of a needle.”

Flashing No. 1 signs with both hands and sporting wraparound sunglasses, Poe has been swarmed by crowds chanting his initials “FPJ” as he tours the country.

“People will follow him because they need to believe in a hero,” film critic Nicanor Tiongson said.

Political analyst Joel Rocamora said Poe faced the challenge of translating his celebrity status into actual votes.

“The (opposition coalition) has not yet attracted the kind of money needed for a presidential campaign,” he wrote. “Part of the reason is that big business is afraid of an FPJ presidency.”

Moralists have also raised an outcry after local media said he had sired three children by different women in his young days as an actor.