MANILA, Philippines?Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada announced on Friday he will no longer be a guest candidate in the senatorial slate of Sen. Manuel Villar's Nacionalista Party.
Estrada told reporters he has not spoken personally to Villar about his latest decision, which came two days after he decided to withdraw his signature on a controversial Senate resolution signed by 12 senators who sought the dismissal of the ethics case against Villar in connection with the C5 road extension project.
But he said he wrote Villar a letter as he maintained that he continues to "value'' the latter as a "friend.''
In his letter and in an interview with reporters, Estrada, who is running for re-election under the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino of his father, deposed President Joseph Estrada who in turn is running for president again, thanked the NP for offering him to be its guest senatorial candidate.
The Senate leader said that he made the move because of rumors that arose following his signing of the pro-Villar resolution that included that he and the other senators were paid and that this was in exchange for his being part of Villar's senatorial slate.
"I can't accept the offer of the NPC because my credibility is at stake,'' he said.
"To erase all doubts and speculations, I'd rather decline the slot offered,'' he said.
Estrada said that he informed his father about his decision.
Last Wednesday, Estrada said he will withdraw his signature in the resolution because of a ``breach'' in the agreement with people he talked to that the document will only be filed after the Senate committee of the whole, which investigated Villar on the C5 controversy, had released its committee report.
Estrada was supposed to withdraw his signature during the last session of the Senate last Wednesday but was unable to do so after the Senate adjourned its session due to lack of quorum.
Congress is on a break until Dec.1 to allow lawmakers running in the 2010 elections to meet the deadline to file their certificates of candidacy.
