Says Aquino, other bets are from 'rich set'

MANILA  - Deposed Philippine leader Joseph Estrada on Wednesday vowed to press on with a bid for the presidency despite the entry into the race of the son of late democracy icon Corazon Aquino.

Estrada, 72, derided Senator Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III, who earlier on Wednesday declared his candidacy in the May 10, 2010 election, 40 days after his mother's death. He dismissed the younger Aquino as a candidate of the rich.

"It doesn't change a thing. My plan is unchanged," Estrada, 72, told AFP, commenting on the bid by Aquino and another announcement by the mayor of Manila's financial district, Jejomar Binay, that he would no longer run.

"Let us let the people decide, not the elites and the bourgeois," Estrada said.

"All of them are from the rich set," he added, referring to the politicians who turned out at a Manila social club earlier to hear Aquino make his announcement.

Estrada, who was once a popular movie star, won the 1998 presidential election by a landslide but was unseated in a bloodless military coup in 2001 after being impeached for alleged corruption.

He was later arrested, put on trial and sentenced to life in prison in 2007, but served less than a month in jail as he won a pardon from his successor, President Gloria Arroyo.

Aquino's declaration thinned the opposition presidential contenders by two, with not only Binay dropping out but also Senator Manuel Roxas, who endorsed fellow Liberal Party politician Aquino.

Estrada has always denied being corrupt and describes his downfall as a plot by the elite, who saw him as a gatecrasher.

He described as "not likely" the prospect of the opposition uniting behind a single candidate to challenge the Arroyo camp's candidate, who has yet to be named.

"We are not from the same party. I have my own," Estrada said.

Villar, Escudero should withdraw first

In an interview over radio dzMM's Pasada Sais Trenta on Wednesday, Estrada said he will give way to Aquino only if the two other strong opposition presidential aspirants also withdraw from the presidential race in 2010.

"Sabi ko nga, kung mapag-iisa lamang at si Noynoy ang kandidato at aatras sila, bakit naman ako hindi aatras?" Estrada said.

Estrada said he still cannot see the other opposition presidential aspirants, particularly Senators Manny Villar and Francis "Chiz" Escudero, giving way to Aquino.

He said people calling on other candidates to endorse Aquino should let the other opposition presidential aspirants "go around the country and feel the pulse of the people."

Estrada said one or two more presidential survey results might also make other presidential aspirants from the opposition change their minds.

The former president recalled that he withdrew from the presidential race in 1992 after he went around the country and came to the conclusion that he would not be able to beat the eventual winner Fidel V. Ramos.

Estrada said he is open to meeting Aquino as he feels that the senator might be able to help him convince the opposition to unite.

"Ang naisip ko nga, si Noynoy ay matutulungan ako to unite the opposition para magkaroon ng iisang kandidato," he said.

Estrada met with Liberal Party President Manuel “Mar” Roxas II before the latter announced his withdrawal from the presidential race in favor of Aquino.

The former president also gave a bit of advice to Aquino.

"His parents left a legacy to our country and I hope he can take advantage of that. But on the other hand, time will come when he has to do his own work as presidential contender. He can’t always rely on his parents. As president, he should prove his own quality," said Estrada.

‘Addition to roster’

Meanwhile, Escudero, a possible presidential bet of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), wished Noynoy "all the best in his endeavor."

"He is definitely a good addition to the roster of those who have declared their intention to run for president," Escudero said.

He added: "Our people deserve to be given the widest and best possible choices for the highest office in the land."
 
The senator has repeatedly said that he will announce his decision whether he will run for president in 2010 once he turns 40 on October 10.

Escudero indicated in a dzMM interview last Saturday that he was not eyeing the vice-presidency.

"Ang turo sa akin ng lolo ko, mangangarap ka na rin lang, taas-taasan mo na (My grandfather taught me to aspire for something higher)," Escudero told radio dzMM's "Magandang Morning" program.

He also junked calls by Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio to all "reformists" and opposition bets to support Aquino's presidential bid.

"Walang puwedeng magsabi na kami lang ang mabuti at magaling at kayong lahat ay hindi (No one can say that they are good and better and the rest are not)," he said.

Escudero added that having more than two candidates for president in 2010 would be good for voters since they would have more choices.

In a separate interview, evangelist Brother Eddie Villanueva, who had earlier announced his own presidential run, also rejected calls to support Aquino's presidential bid.

Villanueva said that unlike in 2004, he now has a better chance in the presidential election because his political party, Bangon Pilipinas, already has a "reasonable machinery up to barangay level."

Opposition will win in 2010 - Maceda

Meanwhile, former Ambassador Ernesto Maceda, a staunch supporter of Estrada, said he is confident that even if the opposition fails to come up with a unified slate for 2010, an opposition candidate will still win the presidential election.

"Definitely an opposition candidate, whoever it is, will win," Maceda said.

He added that President Arroyo's record is hurting the administration's chances of maintaining its hold on Malacañang.

Whoever President Arroyo endorses for the presidency in 2010 will lose, Maceda said.

"Any identification or endorsement by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be a kiss of death," he said.

Maceda cited the survey ratings of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., an administration presidential aspirant, as an example.

Three months after Teodoro announced his intention to run, his ratings have not breached the 1 percent level.

Maceda also noted that Vice-President Noli de Castro's popularity has slid in recent presidential  surveys.

"So the fight will be among the opposition candidates," he insisted. -- with a report from Agence France-Presse