MANILA, Philippines--Pledging to fight corruption and claiming to see victory at hand, frontrunner Sen. Benigno Aquino III on Saturday formally registered his candidacy in the 2010 election in a star-studded event worthy of any staged by the most popular movie star candidates.

Aquino and his running mate, Sen. Manuel Roxas III, led the Liberal Party (LP) senatorial slate in filing their candidacy papers at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Intramuros, accompanied by the country’s most luminous movie and television stars.

Aquino’s television host sister, Kris, led the group of entertainers that included Boy Abunda, Cesar Montano, Gretchen Barreto, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Kim Chiu, Enchong Dee, Erich Gonzales and indie film star Coco Martin.

A festive proclamation rally at the Plaza Roma fronting the Comelec offices preceded the formal filing, attended by about a thousand supporters who, like Aquino, were clad in the trademark yellow campaign colors of his mother, the late President Cory Aquino.

An exuberant Roxas, the party president, introduced Aquino by belting out a line from the popular pop song, “Nobody.”

“Nobody, nobody, nobody, but you! Who is in our hearts—Noynoynoynoy!” Roxas shouted, to cheers from the crowd.

Setting aside a prepared speech, Aquino spoke to his adoring audience in Filipino.

“As long as the people are behind us, we can solve whatever problems we have. It’s only a matter of months before we achieve victory. I’m sure our crusade will continue and will succeed … because all of you are here,” he said.

Out of nowhere

Aquino, 51, the frontrunner to succeed President Macapagal-Arroyo, surged from nowhere to the top of the opinion polls after his mother, President Corazon Aquino, died in early August after a battle with cancer.

An October survey by the Pulse Asia polling firm found Aquino with 44 percent support, with rivals Sen. Manuel Villar with 19 percent, and ex-defense chief Gilbert Teodoro, Ms Arroyo’s preferred successor, with 2 percent.

The LP was the first of the four leading political parties to register its candidates. The others—Villar’s Nationalista Party, the Partido ng Masang Pilipino of deposed President Joseph Estrada and the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD of Teodoro—are all expected to register before the deadline on Tuesday.

The date that the LP candidates chose to make their formal filing was the day after the birthday of Aquino’s father, the martyred opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

The team started the day early with a wreath-laying at the Ninoy Aquino statue in a park across from the Manila Hotel.

This was followed by a 9 a.m. Mass officiated by Fr. Arnold Abelardo at the Manila Cathedral. Outside the church, yellow-clad supporters had started to gather, chanting “Noynoy, Noynoy!”

After the Mass, the candidates proceeded to a makeshift stage for the short proclamation rally.

Afterwards, Aquino, Roxas and the seven senatorial candidates were escorted to the Comelec offices by a noisy throng of supporters while security escorts vainly tried to throw a protective cordon around them.

Transformational change

At the rally, Aquino and Roxas said they wanted to effect “transformational change” in the national leadership in response to what the people needed.

They said the current government was corrupt and offered no lasting solution to the country’s problems.

Aquino said that after his mother died on Aug. 1, he was troubled.

“How do we bring back light to our country?” he asked himself.

He said that the day he was filing his candidacy “may be the first step in the last episode of [finally achieving] what we’re fighting for.”

He condemned the massacre in Maguindanao, saying that, if elected, he would never have the kind of government that allows such tragedies to happen.

“We will assure punishment for every violation of the law. You can cast it in stone,” he said.

“We will do what is right,” he said.

Aquino vowed to bring reforms in the government by embodying the quality of integrity, humility and trustworthiness in public leadership.

He said he would continue his parents’ legacy of change through democratic means.

He vowed to eradicate corruption and bring peace and prosperity to all Filipinos.

Untainted

Roxas said Aquino was the only presidential aspirant who was not tainted by the Arroyo administration.

While other parties claim to be running on the promise of reforms, only the LP has taken a consistently critical stance against the administration, Roxas noted.

“All the opponents of Sen. Noynoy claim that they are reformists. I can only say this: Sen. Noynoy has no contracts with the government. He did not gain anything from his position as a government official,” he said.

Aquino said he considered his rivals as of the same breed.

“They all want to continue fooling and cheating the people,” he said.

Should they win, Aquino and Roxas said they would focus on creating jobs for Filipinos.

Their platform also includes protection of the environment and reform in public health, the judiciary and the bureaucracy.

200,000 volunteers

Aquino said his campaign was counting on a network of volunteers nationwide which, as of Saturday, numbered 200,000.

“The one thing that propels this campaign is the sense of volunteerism,” he said.

Only 7 of the 10 LP senatorial candidates showed up to file their candidacy papers yesterday: former senators Franklin Drilon and Ralph Recto; Akbayan party-list member Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel; House Representatives Ruffy Biazon and Teofisto Guingona III; ex-congressman Nereus Acosta; and Sonia Roco, the widow of the late Sen. Raul Roco, of Akyson Demokratiko.

Detained Army officer Danilo Lim, an “adopted” LP candidate who filed for candidacy as an independent last Friday, was represented by his daughter.

Also absent was Alex Lacson, who was represented by his wife Pia.

Sergio Osmeña’s name has not been deleted from the LP slate even after he bolted the party in protest against the inclusion Ralph Recto, another ex-senator.

Aquino’s three other sisters—Ballsy, Pinky and Viel—also showed up, as did Roxas’ bride, broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez.

Sanchez and Roxas both wore the latter’s chosen campaign color of blue.