MANILA, Philippines?Sen. Maria Ana Consuelo ?Jamby? Madrigal has thrown her hat in the 2010 presidential race, surprising even her colleagues in the Senate.

?Sen. Manuel Villar has no monopoly of the presidency,? Madrigal said Friday during a press conference at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati City.

?At long last, I have reached my decision,? she said. ?Today, I cross the Rubicon. I am certain in my decision to run for the presidency of the Republic of the Philippines and will file my candidacy without hesitation on Nov. 30.?

Madrigal said she would not slide down to vice president and that her first act in office, if elected, would be to send President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to jail for her ?sins against the country.?

?There are enough grounds to prosecute Mrs. Arroyo ? But I don?t know if we have enough jails for the lifetimes she will have to [serve],? she said.

The first-term senator, scion of the wealthy Madrigal clan that includes the late Sen. Vicente Madrigal and Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos as illustrious members, said the country had been good to her family, so this ?is my way of giving back.?

?And to those of you who may question my personal motives, I have none. My only goal is plain and simple?to serve you faithfully,? she said.

Work in progress

Except for the funds to bankroll a nationwide campaign, everything ?is still a work in progress,? including the party that will choose her as its standard-bearer, according to Madrigal, who belongs to PDP-Laban party.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., founder of PDP-Laban, said Makati Mayor Jejomar ?Jojo? Binay now runs the party.

Binay is also a presidential aspirant.

?Jojo runs the party now. I limit myself to the Senate minority. In short, Jojo is the PDP top honcho. I am the forgotten founder with nameless others,? Pimentel told the Inquirer.

Pimentel said since ?Jojo is PDP president,? and Senators Villar (Nacionalista), Mar Roxas (Liberal), Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero (Nationalist People?s Coalition) have their own parties, Madrigal might run as an ?independent.?

UNO?s choice

Meanwhile, the United Opposition (UNO) will choose its presidential candidate for the 2010 elections from many aspirants this month or in September, according to Binay, also UNO president.

UNO is composed of former President Joseph Estrada?s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and Binay?s PDP-Laban parties.

Total of 10 opposition bets

Binay, who was in Baguio City, said only five presidential aspirants from the opposition have figured in recent surveys, but more groups are now joining their ranks. The five are Estrada and Senators Villar, Roxas, Escudero and Legarda.

Aside from Binay and Madrigal, the other presidential aspirants are Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio, Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca or a total of 10 credible candidates from the opposition.

Binay may slide to VP

The difference between the administration and the opposition has started to turn ?gray? with more politicians claiming to be against the Arroyo administration, Binay said.

He admitted that Estrada, the acknowledged opposition leader, could no longer bring members of opposition parties like the PMP, PDP-Laban, as well as newer and smaller opposition groups together.

?We may have to talk leader to leader,? Binay, who is PDP-Laban president, said ?to determine who would agree to step aside once the majority elects the standard-bearer.?

The mayor had declared his presidential bid but said he was willing to slide to vice president should the UNO select another standard-bearer.

Malacañang amused

Malacañang seemed amused with Madrigal?s announcement to join a potentially crowded presidential race in May 2010.

Gabriel Claudio, presidential political adviser, said Madrigal?s planned run could defeat Estrada?s goal of uniting the opposition.

?That should enliven the contest even more. Let?s see how that is going to affect the opposition. We know that the principal objective, if you were to believe President Erap, is to unite behind a single candidate,? Claudio said in a briefing. ?That broadens the field. It?s an interesting situation for the opposition to handle.?

He later said Madrigal could prove to be a ?threat to the opposition.?

Silence of retreat

Madrigal admitted to the Inquirer following the press conference that she had kept her allies Roxas, Panfilo Lacson and Legarda in the dark regarding her political plans.

She also said she made up her mind to take the ?challenge? during the month-long session break.

Running for president was not a ?personal ambition,? Madrigal said. She was offering herself at the altar of public service ?to share a vision that has been honed by my family?s more than 100 years of service to the country.?

Madrigal pointed out that she didn?t have to panhandle from big business to run a nationwide campaign.

?Enough funds?

When asked how much funds she had set aside for campaign expenses, she said in Filipino: ?I have enough.?

Madrigal said her five years as senator showed that she didn?t compromise the people?s welfare for personal gain.

She said she had voted against the expanded value-added tax, Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement and the Anti-Terrorism Law.

C-5 controversy

She also responded to the call of Nacionalista spokesperson Gilbert Remulla to inhibit herself from the C-5 extension project investigation she had initiated against Villar.

She said she had filed the case when she had not yet made up her mind to run for the presidency.

?It?s not me, but the Senate committee of the whole that will pursue the case,? Madrigal said.

?The issue is plain and simple corruption, not the presidency,? she said, challenging Villar to a one-on-one debate to discuss their political platforms.

When told that her candidacy was being compared to attempts by nuisance candidates in the 2004 presidential polls, Madrigal said: ?They can insult me. It?s OK. I?m a sport. But why are they reacting? Any Filipino can run for president.? With reports from TJ Burgonio in Manila and Vincent Cabreza in Northern Luzon