MANILA: The son of the late Philippine leader Corazon Aquino said on Wednesday he would run for president in next year’s election. Sen. Benigno Aquino III made the announcement at Club Filipino in San Juan City.
Critics said the senator was taking advantage of her mother’s popularity. Last week, he went to Mindanao and met his supporters and religious leaders to seek advice whether or not to run in the presidential elections.
Vowing to fight corruption in the Southeast Asian nation, Aquino said he would be a leader for all sectors of society and not just the rich.
“I will be there because of the people, I will stay there because of the people and hopefully I will be true to my word to serve the people,” Aquino, 49, told a crowd of cheering supporters as he declared his bid.
Aquino made the announcement at historic Club Filipino, where his mother “Cory” was sworn in as president in 1986 after leading the “people power” revolution that ended dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s 20-year rule.
His plans have led to two other opposition presidential hopefuls — Sen. Manuel Roxas and Jejomar Binay, mayor of the financial district of Makati — to stand down and offer their support.
Deposed Philippine leader Joseph Estrada vowed to press on with a bid for the presidency despite the entry into the race of Aquino.
Aquino’s Liberal Party has been a fierce critic of Arroyo, alleging widespread corruption in her administration.
Arroyo’s spokesman Lorelei Fajardo conceded Aquino has emerged a strong contender for the presidency, while calling him a “welcome addition to the race”.
But Estrada, the 72-year-old former movie star who spent time in prison after he was toppled in a bloodless 2001 military coup and convicted of corruption, said the opposition should let the electorate decide. The choice was not for “the elites and the bourgeois” to make, he said, in a dig at the Aquino camp.
Binay, however, said he was giving way to Aquino “to pave the way to uniting the opposition.” Aquino said he would rely on the help of ordinary Filipinos to become president, just as they had propelled his mother to power.
— With input from agencies
