Erap admits having hard time uniting opposition

MANILA, Philippines – Deposed President Joseph Estrada on Tuesday said the chances that he would run in the 2010 presidential elections is increasing as he admitted having a hard time uniting the opposition bloc. Estrada, who was ousted by a popular revolt in 2001, had repeatedly said he would be forced to join the presidential race if the opposition fails to rally behind a single candidate by the end of the year. Currently, the opposition party has yet to choose from a pool of opposition figures, who have all expressed interest in vying for the highest post in the land including Senators Manuel Villar Jr, Manuel Roxas II, and Panfilo Lacson. And instead of being whittled down, the number of opposition figures interested in the presidency seemed to be growing, with Senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay among the latest names. “Mukhang hindi ko yata mapagkakaisa ang ating mga kandidato sa opisisyon, Nagkakawatak-watak lang. Kako kung hindi kayo magkakaisa, ako na lang," Estrada told radio dzBB’s Joel Reyes Zobel. [It looks like I can’t get the opposition to unite behind one candidate. We are in disarray. I say, if we can’t unite, I’ll run] Estrada said with the current situation, the certainty of him battling it out with the presidential bet of the administration – which had formed the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party through a merger – had already reached “90 percent." And if recent surveys were to be used as basis, Estrada’s chances of winning the upcoming polls cannot be disregarded. A recent Pulse Asia preference survey showed Estrada on the third spot in the list of preferred presidential bets for 2010, closely trailing behind Vice President Noli de Castro and Escudero. Estrada took delight in the survey results, stressing that his standing seemed already strong (with a 15-percent preference rating) even though he had not even declared that he would be running. “Pinaniniwalaan ko iyan. Simula pa lang nung ako ay mayor [I have been believing in surveys as early as when I was the mayor of San Juan]," Estrada said. He, however, emphasized that surveys are not always reliable. He cited the 2004 Social Weather Station exit poll survey showing that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would likely lead in presidential polls in Metro Manila. As it turned out, Arroyo only won over rival actor Fernando Poe Jr. in Las Piñas. Arroyo lost to Poe in 17 other cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Estrada recounted. Arroyo ultimately won in the polls and the movie actor died after suffering a stroke in December 2004. “May mga tamang survey. Mayroon naman mga fly-by-night surveys [There are reliable surveys and there are fly-by-night surveys]," said Estrada. Not too fast Still, Estrada said he did not want to decide yet and still remained hopeful the opposition would unite in singling out a standard bearer. “Sa ngayon masyado pa rin maaga. Malayo pa eleksyon almost one year pa [It’s still too early. The elections is almost a year away]," the former president said. “Ang ating mga kandidato lumalakbay sa ibang lalawigan, lungsod. Mas-maganda nga iyon para maramdman nila ang pulso ng bayan [Our prospective candidates are still in the process of trying to find the sentiments of the people all over the country]," he added. - GMANews.TV