MANILA, Philippines - Former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada, who is running again for the highest position in the land, accidentally ripped his pants during a campaign sortie in Leyte province.

The Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) standard bearer had a wardrobe mishap when his blue slacks tore in the back upon riding a helicopter, exposing his “white” underwear.

Estrada used his trademark orange jacket to cover the ripped seams, and quickly changed to a pair of denims.

Instead of acting embarrassed, he even used the incident to entertain the crowd.

“Maayong buntad sa inyong tanan! Pobre na si Erap, butas ang pantalon. May nakita ba kayo? Anong nakita ninyo? (Greetings to all of you! Erap is poor now, he got his pants ripped. Did you see anything? What did you see?),” Estrada told the crowd, who answered “puti” (white).

A number of people present during the campaign sortie managed to snap pictures of Estrada’s behind using their mobile phones. The former president, however, didn’t seem to mind.

“Okay naman [na kumuha sila ng litrato], para makita nila pwet ko (It’s okay if they took pictures, so they’ll get to see my butt),” Estrada told ABS-CBN News.

“Ang aksidente, nasaktan ka. Wala namang nasaktan, pantalon ko lang iyon (An accident takes place if someone gets hurt. No one got hurt, this is just about my pants),” he added. Report from Sheryll Mundo, ABS-CBN News

as of 04/13/2010 7:31 PM

source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/04/13/10/eraps-pants-ripped-open-during-campaign