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| Southeast Asia |
| Aquino son for president? |
| 2009-09-03 |
| [Straits Times] THE son of late Philippines democracy icon Corazon Aquino looks set to run for president, hoping to capture his mother's magic and build yet another political dynasty in the Southeast Asian nation. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III has emerged as a shock early contender for next year's presidential election thanks to a massive outpouring of sympathy for his mother, who overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos, after she died last month. 'Noynoy may get a whiff of the Cory magic,' former president Joseph Estrada, who is aiming to make a comeback and run again in next year's election, told AFP on Wednesday. Mr Aquino, 49, had his path cleared to run for president when his main rival for the opposition Liberal Party's candidacy, Senator Mar Roxas, withdrew from the race on Tuesday. He is expected to formally announce his candidacy at any time, potentially as soon as Wednesday night during a press conference. Mr Roxas had spent big money on television advertising in recent months in an effort to secure the Liberal Party's nomination, but was overwhelmed by the public support for Mr Aquino amid recent saturation media coverage of him. Previously regarded as having few legislative accomplishments during his 12 years in parliament, Mr Aquino sky-rocketed into the public consciousness during the Manila funeral for his mother which was attended by nearly 500,000 people. 'Definitely there will be a carry over of sympathy votes for him after his mum died,' said Jaime Garchitorena, a spokesman for advocacy group Youth Vote Philippines. Liberal Party spokesman Butch Abad, who is a close friend of the Aquinos, also said he believed the public was hungry for the 'kind of leadership showed by Cory and Ninoy'. 'They are in search for someone who will carry that torch. He's the son, he's in public office, and it was logical for Noynoy to play a role here,' he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |