Political battle lines more defined as OCC filing nears deadline

As the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy draws closer, more established personalities trooped to the Commission on Elections (Comelec)... to officially file their documents for the 2010 elections.

As of press time, Comelec reported that 41 presidential aspirants, four vice presidents and 63 senators were running next year.

Also among the major political figures were colorful characters also seeking national elected positions.

One of them, a certain Paulino Corpus, a 50-year-old carpenter from Zamboanga del Norte, claimed that he was the “79th general of the world” and that he “owns the Philippines.”

There was also a certain Mary Lou Estrada, a 41-year-old business owner who said that she was running for president and that she has allotted P327 a day for every Filipino. The fund was to come from mining, she added without elaborating.

Also with the Estrada, who shares a surname with former President and fellow Palace aspirant Joseph “Erap” Estrada, was Roberto Reyes. He is popularly known as Amay Bisaya, the name of his movie character, and he will run as an independent senatorial candidate.

Liberals’ yellow

Meanwhile, the Palacio del Gobernador, which houses the Comelec headquarters, turned yellow when Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd and Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd filed their candidacy for president and vice president, respectively.

Although the Liberal Party did not complete its senatorial lineup, Aquino said that the party was still threshing out some issues with other candidates.

He added that one of them was detained in Camp Crame, referring to former Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim who faces rebellion charges. Others were out of the country, and one slot was being reserved for former Sen. Serge Osmeña, who bolted the Liberals in objection to the recruitment of former administration Sen. Ralph Recto.

Aquino said that unlike other political parties that promise reforms, the Liberals had stood strong on national issues.

“We have taken a stand on critical issues of the day . . . impeachment [of President Gloria Arroyo], NorthRail, fertilizer [scam],” he added.

Roxas, on the other hand, added that Aquino, unlike other presidential aspirants, was untainted by corruption.

But recently, Aquino’s name has been dragged into the controversy surrounding the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, or SCTEx. But Aquino denied any wrongdoing, blaming political propaganda.

Aquino is a three-term congressman of Tarlac before he won a Senate seat in the 2007-midterm elections, while Roxas was elected to the Senate in 2004.

If he wins, Aquino said that he would focus on his four-point agenda—job generation, environment, health and judicial reform.

Major Palace candidates

Today, Villar and Estrada were expected to file their respective certificates of candidacy for president.
Villar is running under the Nacionalista Party banner, Estrada under the party that carried him to the Palace in 1998, the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

On Sunday night, Villar’s party held a proclamation rally in the depressed Manila district of Tondo, where the Nacionalistas introduced its senatorial ticket.

On Tuesday, the administration’s bet, former Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, was expected to file his candidacy. His party is the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD).

The man Teodoro beat out for the administration’s nomination—former Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)—was also expected to file his candidacy on Tuesday.

Senatorial candidates

Earlier on Saturday, Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of Ilocos Norte, filed his candidacy for senator under the Nacionalista banner. He was accompanied by his sister, congresswoman Imee Marcos, his predecessor in the House.

The Marcoses are the children of the late strongman, President Ferdinand Marcos, whose opponents in the Left also filed their candidacy on Sunday.

Those new senatorial candidates are Rep. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna party-list and Liza Maza of Gabriela party-list.

They were accompanied by volunteers and supporters from different communities and institutions in Metro Manila and other party-lists supporters.

President’s plans

Also on Sunday, President Gloria Arroyo remained tight-lipped about her widely talked about congressional bid.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said that he could not guess the President’s plans.

“It’s hard to speculate,” he added. “Both your questions and my answers would be speculative so I would rather not comment on that. We leave those kinds of things to Atty. Romeo Macalintal.”
Macalintal is the President’s lawyer.
WITH REPORTs FROM ANGELO S. SAMONTE, JAN ERICK TUTAAN AND JANE CRISTINE UMALI