MANILA, Philippines -- Before Obama fever gripped people all over the world, there was former president Joseph Estrada, whose charisma with the Filipino masses can be likened to that of the 44th president of the United States, his spokeswoman said Thursday.

Asked at a news forum if anyone can be referred to as the Barack Obama of the Philippines, Margaux Salcedo pointed to Estrada, although she also conceded, "Well, we have Jojobama," jestingly jest referring to Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, who has announced plans to seek the presidency in 2010.

"This may sound biased, but if there is anybody who we can call as the Barack Obama of the Philippines, it would have been former president Estrada because, at that time, if you remember in 1998, it was really a very inspiring moment for the Filipino masses,? Salcedo said, referring to the landslide electoral victory of the movie star.

?It was such a proud moment for Philippine history when the Filipino poor [were] able to say that. ?We elected somebody of our own kind?," Salcedo said

Like the US, where Salcedo said people value their votes, the 1998 election here was a testimony that the votes of the people were really counted.

"At that time, it was really President Estrada who was most inspiring to the Filipino people, just as Obama is inspiring to the US, to America today," Salcedo said.

At the same forum, San Juan Mayor Jose Victor Ejercito said his father's affection for the poor could not be questioned and that he proved this through the programs he implemented during his abbreviated term.

Ejercito claimed his father?s downfall came when "he adopted a lot of pro-poor measures and a lot of anti-establishment measures."

Estrada was ousted by a popular uprising in January 2001 and replaced with his then vice president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.