Former actor abandons gubernatorial plans, says he can't leave President Arroyo at this time

MANILA - Senator Manuel "Lito" Lapid on Wednesday filed his certificate of candidacy for a re-election in 2010, abandoning his earlier plans to run for governor of Pampanga, the position he occupied for nine years before he became senator.

The actor-turned-politician said he dropped his plan to re-take the Pampanga capitol upon the request of President Arroyo, his fellow Kapampangan. He said he couldn't say no to the President for him to be on the administration's senatorial ticket, especially now that a number of party mates have jumped ship.

"Ang loyalty natin sa partido at sa ating mahal na pangulo, lalong-lalo ngayon iniiwanan siya ng mga kasamahan namin. Kaya hinding-hindi ko siya maiiwan (Our loyalty is with the party and our beloved President, especially now that our allies are leaving her. So I cannot leave her)," Lapid said.

Lapid finished 11th in the senatorial race in 2004, or just 2 slots away from losing.

His announcement of honoring party decision came several days after former senator Ralph Recto, widely believed to have won in 2001 only through special operations conducted for him by the administration, abandoned the President's party in favor the Liberal Party. Recto brought along his wife, Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, who's also won in the last 4 local elections under the Lakas banner.

'Bong staying, too'

Lapid ran and won as Pampanga vice governor under the Nationalist People's Coalition in 1992, then as governor in 1995. For his second and third terms, he ran under Lakas. In 2004, when he ran for senator, he was succeeded as governor by his son Mark. The younger Lapid, however, lost in his re-election bid in 2007 against priest-turned-politician Ed Panlilio.

In 2007, too, the older Lapid--also upon the request of President Arroyo--ran for mayor of Makati against staunch oppositionist Jejomar Binay; Lapid lost, and just continued serving the rest of his term in the Senate.

On Wednesday, Lapid said he decided to continue pushing his advocacies in the Senate. He mentioned the free legal assistance bill as one of them.

He said that it seemed only Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and he are the only incumbent senators left in the party, so they agreed not to leave Lakas.

Lapid said he did not file his CoC with other administration bets, since he has other things to attend to on the day the slate is thinking of going to the Comelec together.

Almost 10 years after Lapid vacated his gubernatorial post, he's facing charges of plunder filed by Pampanga Governor Panlilio. The governor charged him of illegally amassing P121 million from the quarrying operation in the province. (Newsbreak)