Erap camp now has 11 prospective Senate bets

The camp of former President Joseph Estrada now has 11 prospective senatorial candidates for the 2010 elections, including his son who is running for re-election, the daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., a detained Army general, a witness in the ZTE-NBN scandal and a television host. A statement released by Estrada's camp said the last slot in the United Opposition's senatorial line-up will be left open for a guest candidate. The UNO is composed of Estrada's Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay's PDP-Laban. On Tuesday, Estrada confirmed that his running mate in the 2010 polls is Binay, who is also president of the UNO. [See: Erap confirms tandem with Binay in 2010 polls] Those in the UNO list are: Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate Pro Tempore Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, Representatives Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin Jr., Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Rodolfo Plaza, lawyer Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and Edu Manzano, former chairman of the Optical Media Board. The line-up combines personalities allied with the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos (the Estradas, Bongbong, and Enrile for a time) and with former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino (Binay, Locsin and Koko's father - Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.). Poe-Llamanzares is the daughter of Estrada's friend, the late Fernando Poe Jr. who placed second to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the 2004 polls. The late actor was also associated with Marcos. De Venecia III, meanwhile, is the son of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and the one who linked First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo to the botched ZTE-NBN deal scandal in 2007. The UNO statement said the inclusion of Koko would depend "if he decides to drop his case in the Supreme Court for having been [allegedly] cheated in the 2007 elections." On the other hand, Lim is detained on rebellion charges in connection with the November 2007 siege of the Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati City. He is also facing mutiny charges before a military tribunal over the failed February 2006 coup. Once Lim files his certificate of candidacy, he will automatically be resigned from military service. Manzano, on the other hand, is a former vice mayor of Makati (1998). He sought the mayoralty post three years later but lost to Binay. The announcement came a day after the confirmation of the Estrada-Binay tandem on Tuesday. The Commission on Elections had set the period of filing of certificates of candidacy from November 20 to 30. - GMANews.TV