MANILA - Bayani Fernando is willing to quit his post as chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and run as independent in the 2010 presidential election.

"Desidido, pursigido, sigurado, diretso," Fernando said when asked by a supporter during a briefing in Marikina City on Monday about his plan to run for president next year.

The MMDA chairman said he is willing to quit his post and will run independent.

Despite the lack of machinery, Fernando said he is counting on his political will to win the people's support in 2010.

Fernando, a loyal member of the administration, lost the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party nomination for the presidency last September 16.

The merged party selected Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro as its presidential candidate. The secretary had announced that he will leave his post in two weeks before filing his certificate for candidacy.

During the party nomination, Fernando presented a motion before the Lakas-Kampi-CMD national executive committee to set clearer criteria for choosing the standard bearer. The motion was denied and the executive committee pushed through with the voting.

The MMDA chairman had insisted that he was the rightful standard-bearer as he has been an old-timer in the party. He also declared that he might leave the party if it fails to choose to endorse him for the presidential post for the 2010 elections. With ABS-CBN News Channel