MANILA, Philippines ? The showbiz factor is actor-TV host Edu Manzano?s greatest contribution to the planned run for the presidency of Gilbert ?Gibo? Teodoro, the standard-bearer of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

That?s according to Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, actor and Manzano?s ex-wife, as well as his colleague, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, to whom the Inquirer directed the question: What advantage did they think would Manzano, 54, bring to Teodoro?s campaign?

The ruling party?s search for a ?genuine partner? for Teodoro has ended with Manzano?s decision to be his running mate in the May 2010 presidential election.

Speaking at a press conference Friday in Makati City, Teodoro said that more than his looks and his mass appeal, Manzano?s experience, clean record in local government and his advocacies for young Filipinos were among the things considered.

It was Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno who announced the new tandem. He said he encouraged Manzano to take up the challenge ?to walk beside? Teodoro in a series of conversations and discreet meetings in the past weeks.

Puno said he felt obligated to ensure that Teodoro would be running with a partner who could ?live up to his expectations,? especially after he (Puno) backed out of the vice presidential race last month.

?Because ... Teodoro has taken up the challenge of running for president, to a large extent at my prodding, I felt responsible for the confusion that came about when I withdrew from the race for the vice presidency,? Puno told reporters.

In pulling out, Puno said he was ?fed up with politics? and that he would rather continue his work at the Department of Interior and Local Government in the wake of the back-to-back storms that hit the country in September and October.

Crowd-drawer

Manzano is the father of Governor Santos? firstborn son, actor Luis Manzano.

On the phone with the Inquirer, Santos said of Manzano: ?He?s a celebrity, a crowd-drawer. It?s important to have somebody like him in your campaign. That has weight.

?But you know, sometimes being a celebrity is not all that counts. One has to have the capability. And we know that Edu is qualified to be a public servant.?

According to Senator Estrada, who is running for reelection under rival party Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), Manzano?s popularity is ?his greatest advantage.?

?I honestly would have preferred that he run for senator first to gain experience. He would have been a shoo-in as a senator,? Estrada said.

Manzano was elected vice mayor of Makati in 1998. He ran for reelection in 2001 but lost.

He resigned as chair of the Optical Media Board (OMB), a government agency tasked to curb optical media piracy, in August. He served as president of the Kapisanan ng mga Artista sa Pelikulang Pilipino in the 1990s.

Manzano was the host of the now defunct game show ?Pilipinas, Game KNB?? on ABS-CBN.

He was once married to actor Maricel Soriano and is now engaged to marry broadcaster Pinky Webb. He has two children, Amanda Danielle and Lorenzo Eduardo, with his former partner, Rina Samson.

When asked what was their edge over the other hopeful tandems running in 2010, Teodoro said he and Manzano were both neophytes in national politics, thus offering a fresh start to the country.

?We have no heavy baggage... Nobody can accuse any of us of putting our hands into public funds,? said Teodoro, a Harvard-trained lawyer and the youngest to hold the defense portfolio at 43.

Teodoro also said he would have no trouble working with Manzano because the latter shared an advocacy with his wife, Tarlac Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro, in promoting the antichild pornography bill.

?We have the same ideas ... and he has appeal that he can use as a motivating tool to advance our platform. That?s important,? Teodoro said.

When asked if he was willing to give up his show biz career to run with Teodoro, Manzano said: ?It?s hard to serve two masters. I will be a team player... Giving up a TV career is a small price to pay for what we have in mind in regard to our advocacies and platform.?

Puno said that after officially backing out of the vice presidential race on Oct. 23, he sought Teodoro?s permission to engage in serious conversations with Manzano.

He said Manzano was ?a very good friend? whom he had helped in earlier political affairs.

Puno said he was glad that Manzano took up the challenge and that Teodoro accepted the latter as running mate.

When asked whether the actor would boost Teodoro?s poor ratings in the surveys, Puno simply replied: ?I don?t bet on losers.?

Pacquiao punch

Manzano told reporters that the offer to be Teodoro?s running mate came like a ?Pacquiao punch? to him given the rumors that Lakas-Kampi-CMD was wooing Santos herself and Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for the post.

He said initial talks with Puno began three months ago but that he only sat down with Teodoro on Wednesday. After marathon meetings with Puno, he decided to accept the proposal on Thursday.

?Initially, I had certain apprehensions?if the timing was right, if I was fit for the role. But when I got to talk to ... Teodoro, I didn?t see any conflict or any reason we can?t work together,? he said, adding:

?In the many forums I?ve attended, I?ve always expressed my respect for him and my confidence in his credibility... So it was an easy fit.

?When I saw him for the first time two days ago, all my qualms went out the window.?

Manzano also said he did not mind if it looked like he was the last choice for the position. He said ?stranger things? had happened and that good fortune also found those playing second fiddle (?saling pusa?).

27 years in show biz

Teodoro cited Manzano?s ?unmatched intelligence.?

Said Manzano: ?I don?t pretend to have graduated summa cum laude, but I have vast experience related to the private sector. I?ve seen all sides. I?ve been part of the military. And I?ve been in show biz for 27 years,?

Manzano studied at De La Salle University. At 17, he joined the US Air Force.

His first film appearance was in Laurice Guillen?s ?Kapag Puso?y Sinugatan,? released in 1979.

He later played critically acclaimed roles in films.

Asked how he was feeling at the moment, Manzano said: ?I have no time to feel nervous. It?s time to start working, to write down my platform and think what would be best for the country.?

Santos appealed to her show biz colleagues to respect Manzano?s decision.

Now the ruling party is claiming that it could not have picked a better vice presidential candidate in Manzano.

?He?s a new face in politics; his record is untainted. It is easier to sell Edu Manzano than other politicians who are tainted with many issues,? Prospero Pichay, the party?s vice president for accreditation, said by phone.