MANILA, Philippines?The administration party?s shortlist of Senate candidates just got shorter.

On the advice of his family, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said he had decided not to pursue his plans to run for the Senate in 2010, a Department of Education (DepEd) official said Thursday.

Lapus has decided instead to focus on improving the public school system during the remaining months of the Arroyo administration, according to Kenneth Tirado, public information office chief of the DepEd.

?The secretary said that even if his name was frequently mentioned in the list of possible senatorial candidates, he has chosen not to run based on the advice of his family,? Tirado said.

?He said he will double his efforts in performing his job at [the] DepEd to address the needs of our students and our teachers,? he added.

Lapus could not be contacted through his cell phone and Tirado could not give more details about the secretary?s decision.

Lapus is a member of the Nationalist People?s Coalition (NPC) whose presumptive presidential standard-bearer, Sen. Francis Escudero, announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the party.

The education secretary earlier said that he was thinking of running for the Senate, especially after he rated high in surveys of possible senatorial candidates from the Cabinet.

The DepEd has received consistently high public job performance ratings during Lapus? term and Lapus himself has also rated high in public awareness polls.

Lapus, a cousin of Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III, was frequently mentioned as a possible senatorial candidate of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition. Philip C. Tubeza