Pormento vs. Estrada, G.R. No. 191988, August 31, 2010 : Failure to Seize the Opportunity to Make a Definitive Ruling on the Scope of the Ineligibility of the President for Any Re-Election

In the second meeting of my Constitutional Law class last night, we discussed, among others, Constitutional Construction. One of the students raised a question on the correct interpretation of Section 4, Article VII of the Constitution, which provides in part that “[t]he President shall not be eligible for any re-election.” Her query: Why was Erap Estrada allowed to run again as President in the 2010 presidential elections despite the foregoing provision?