Bro. Mike Velarde bares candidacy deal with Erap

El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde has revealed that he and former President Joseph Estrada have already agreed on the terms that would determine which of them would run as president in the 2010 elections. In an exclusive interview with GMA News, Velarde said that he and Estrada had agreed that only one of them would seek the presidency and that the one who does not end up as the candidate would just support the other. "Eto ire-reveal ko na sa inyo, nag-usap na kami ni Erap, ang usapan kung hindi ka mapipigil, sasabayan kita. Sabi niya bakit, sabi ko para kapag nadisqualify ka, ako ang kandidato mo, eh kung hindi ka madisqualify, ikaw ang kandidato ko, so we shook hands and that's the deal," he said. (I will reveal this to you, Erap and I have already talked, we agreed that if he can’t be stopped, I will also run with him. He asked me why, I said that if he gets disqualified, I will be his candidate, if he doesn’t get disqualified, he will be my candidate, so we shook hands and that’s the deal.)
Quickly, however, Estrada denied that he ever talked with Velarde regarding his 2010 plans. In fact, Estrada said he just sent his son, Senator Jose "Jinngoy" Estrada, to the 70th birthday celebration of Velarde. Despite this, the former president aid he and the charismatic leader remain to be good friends. Estrada had previously said that he would seek the presidency if opposition figures cannot unite behind a single standard bearer in next year’s presidential polls. He has been insisting that he could still seek the presidency in 2010 even as some framers of the 1987 Constitution believe that he cannot do so. Personalities within the political opposition who have declared intentions or have been reported to be seeking the presidency in 2010 include Senators Manuel Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party), Francis Escudero (Nationalist People's Coalition), Loren Legarda (NPC), Manuel "Mar" Roxas II (Liberal Party) and Ma. Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal. On Wednesday, Velarde bared his plans to seek public office in 2010. But he said he still wants to get the approval of El Shaddai’s supposed seven million followers in the country because without their support, his dream may not materialize. The El Shaddai - a Catholic charismatic movement which is reputed to have played a pivotal role in the country’s past elections - has international chapters in over 30 countries. Last March, Velarde also said that he would run in the 2010 presidential race if he will be endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. [See: Bro Mike Velarde tatakbong presidente kapag inindorso ng CBCP] The CBCP, for its part, has not singled out anyone who might be getting its vote for the May 2010 elections. - GMANews.TV