Bayani Fernando not backing out from 2010 presidential race

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando will push through with his plan to run for president next year even without the endorsement of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD. “I am dead serious about running for the presidency. I will run even without party’s endorsement," he said Monday, breaking his month-long silence that followed the party’s decision to pick Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. over him. “Wala nang atrasan ito (There's no backing out from this)," he told reporters during the send off parade of MMDA personnel in Marikina. Teodoro was chosen by the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD's national executive committee as its standard-bearer for 2010, a decision that is expected to be ratified by the party's national convention on November 12. Fernando, a former Marikina mayor, said he no longer needs the endorsement of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo since she had already chosen her candidate for the May 2010 polls. The MMDA chief also said he is not interested in becoming Teodoro’s running mate. Asked about the possibility of a tandem with Senator Loren Legarda, Fernando said, “We will see." - GMANews.TV