Erap to campaign Binay-Poe tandem for 2016

Former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada delivers his opening remarks during the coronation night of the Miss Manila 2014 on Tuesday night (June 24, 2014) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada will be “all out” in campaigning for Vice President Jejomar Binay for President and Sen. Grace Poe for vice president. This is if the Binay-Poe tandem push through.

“That is the best tandem. I will be all out for them. I will personally campaign all over the country for Vice President Binay and Sen. Grace Poe…It will be undefeated,” Estrada said.

The former president said he will support Poe, the daughter of the late movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., because he has a debt of gratitude to FPJ.

“I cannot really abandon Grace Poe because it is my only way to repay my debt of gratitude to FPJ,” Estrada explained.

Estrada also recalled how FPJ helped him during his campaigns in all his electoral races.

“FPJ was with me when I was still a movie actor. He also personally campaigned for me when I decided to run for mayor of San Juan City, senator, vice president and president (and) I won (in all),” Estrada recounted.

He added that he felt bad that he was not able to personally campaign for the late action star when the latter ran for president in 2004.

He said that he could have done so, suppose he was not in jail.

“I could not campaign for FPJ because I was then in jail.”

Senator Poe, however, is now rumored to be groomed as the Liberal Party’s (LP) standard-bearer.

Despite this, Binay said that he is willing to compete with his friend Poe, should the latter decide to run for President in the 2016 elections.