Supporters of Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno launched on Wednesday a movement to encourage him to run for office.

Organizers of the Movement for Electoral Non-trapo (MEN) said their goal is to prevent "trapos from perpetuating” themselves in Philippine politics, and urged Puno to run for president in 2010.

“We stand for a certain principle, and that is--we don’t want trapos to rule our nation,” former Justice Undersecretary Jose Calida said.

Unlike many movements that prefer to be non-partisan, MEN has rallied behind a potential candidate for the 2010 elections. It is also the only movement to support a “candidate” without his consent.

“We have not consulted him on this because we believe that we can launch this with or without anybody’s blessing. There is no need for us to ask his permission. We are a free country, anybody can speak up. So for us, we believe that he [Puno] is the best candidate, so why settle for second best?” Calida said.

Not a 'trapo'

According to Calida, Puno is “the lone man standing in a field of fallen discredited public officials.”

“He’s not a trapo, he’s not a traditional politician. Morality is only lip service, but they should look into the light of a person’s being. And on this score, I believe CJ Puno will be high on the list,” he added.

Calida said MEN will launch a signature campaign throughout the country that will last until Puno “makes a decision” whether to run or not. Among the groups expected to join the the group's cause are the various evangelical Christian groups. 

Earlier this year, a signature campaign was started by various groups to encourage the chief magistrate to run for office. Likewise, politicians like Senator Panfilo Lacson have expressed support for Puno.

Youth

Aside from urging the chief justice to run, the movement is encouraging students and youth organizations to join their movement.

“Why do they still need to search [for leaders]? We already know who’s qualified, so let’s get to work,” Calida said.

Asked what would happen if Puno opts not to run, Calida said: “I don’t know yet, but we are faith-driven. We rely on faith. We believe that he will run because he cannot turn his back on the Filipino people.”

But if the Chief Justice indeed decides to run for office, Calida said “we will help him, we will raise funds for him.”