ILOILO CITY?Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand ?Bongbong? Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, on Tuesday said that Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III should heed calls for him to run for higher office in next year?s elections.

?Many of the leaders have spoken. They have a good idea of the tone and pulse of the people and they should be listened to,? Marcos told the Inquirer when asked if he considered Aquino a viable candidate for higher office in 2010.

Aquino, only son of slain opposition leader Sen. Benigno ?Ninoy? Aquino Jr. and the late former President Corazon ?Cory? Aquino, has been urged by stalwarts of the Liberal Party to which he belongs and by other sectors to run for higher office and continue the legacy of his parents.

Ninoy was shot dead on Aug. 21, 1983, when he returned from exile in the United States. His death, blamed by his family on Marcos, hastened the collapse of the dictator?s regime that was overthrown in the Edsa People Power Revolution in 1986.

Representative Marcos along with his sister, former Rep. Imee Marcos-Manotoc, visited the wake of Cory Aquino earlier this month.

The calls for Senator Aquino to seek a higher office and become the running mate of Liberal Party presidential candidate Sen. Manuel ?Mar? Roxas II have intensified due to the massive outpouring of public support and sympathy for his family during his mother?s wake and burial.

?It would seem to be natural for him (Aquino) to join Mar Roxas on his ticket. I?m not really surprised. I?m really more surprised that he has not agreed already to that,? Marcos said.

Marcos himself has not confirmed his plans to run for senator next year. But he said he was joining the provincial sorties of deposed President Joseph Estrada to ?feel the pulse and know the sentiments of the people.?

?Definitely I will be running with the opposition in case I do decide to run,? Marcos said. He said one of the options was to run under Estrada?s party.

Marcos joined Estrada at a press conference here Tuesday morning along with businessman and whistle-blower Jose ?Joey? de Venecia III who earlier announced his plan to run for senator.

De Venecia said he had not chosen which party he would run under but he said it would be with the opposition.

?I?m waiting for results of efforts to consolidate the ranks of the opposition to come up with a common presidential candidate and slate,? he said in a separate interview.

But like Marcos, he too was open to run under Estrada.

They later joined Estrada in his sorties in Passi City and the towns of Barotac Nuevo, Pototan, Calinog, Lambunao and Janiuay in Iloilo.