MANILA, Philippines?Sen. Richard Gordon Tuesday retraced the steps of his great-grandfather at the start of his campaign for president in the May 10 election, hoping to replicate his ancestor?s heroism in the war against Spain in 1896.

Gordon and his running mate Bayani Fernando took a three-hour trip around Cavite province in a 10-wheel truck designed to look like ?Optimus Prime? of movies where the vehicle is turned into a robot that becomes a ?Transformer,? the term used to describe the candidates.

The 100-vehicle convoy of the Bagumbayan party included a cement mixer and ambulances of the Philippine National Red Cross to show the incarnations of Gordon as Olongapo City mayor, administrator of Subic Bay Freeport and Red Cross chief, and Fernando as Marikina City mayor and chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

It set off from a gasoline station along the Southern Luzon Expressway where Gordon, who was delayed for one hour, unsheathed a replica of the sword that he said his great-grandfather Jose Tagle seized from the Spaniards.

?If we are united, we can overcome all our enemies. Today we begin the first victory of the country,? he exclaimed.

Gordon chose Imus town in Cavite as the venue of their kick-off rally late afternoon Tuesday because it was there where Tagle led a motley group that raided the friar?s camarin and seized 30 rifles and a Montana cannon.

His effort so pleased Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo that he declared Tagle capitan municipal of Imus.

Gordon said the incident, known as the Battle of Imus, was regarded as ?the first major victory of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish conquerors.?

?The battle sparked similar mutinies in other parts of the country and eventually led to the downfall of the Spanish regime and the establishment of the Philippine republic,? he said.

Freedom from surveys

Just as his ancestor fought for freedom, Gordon said the challenge now was to free Filipinos from the shackles of popularity and surveys.

?We should not be prisoners of popularity. We should be transformational leaders. We do not give a spark. We bring enlightenment,? he said.

The senator took another dig at surveys showing him lagging behind at least four rivals in the presidential race.

?Surveys only reflect the current climate. Moses did not take a survey among the Israelites before crossing the Red Sea. Jesus did not conduct a survey before he was nailed to the cross. We cannot be hostages to surveys because we do not need them,? he said.

?We need to have leaders chosen based on right, not popularity; honesty, not buying the presidency; work ethic, not inheritance,? Gordon added.

Poverty as campaign trick

Gordon criticized Sen. Manny Villar, the Nacionalista Party presidential candidate, for using poverty as a campaign strategy. He said his mother was actually poorer than Villar?s but he was not injecting her in the campaign.

?I stand on my own strengths,? Gordon said.

Gordon said his mother also went around streets to sell native cakes, ?but I don?t use my mother in my campaign.? He added that while Villar went to a private Catholic school, he was a public school student.

He said that coming from a poor family did not mean a politician would work to help the poor. This campaign strategy, he said, was ?out of fashion (panis).?

He asked: ?Who among the candidates have really spent time to help the poor??

Unlike the other candidates, he said he chose not to trumpet his work with the Red Cross, where he had helped build houses for the poor and provided the organization with more ambulances and equipment.

Will expenses be recouped?

Referring to reports that Villar had spent huge sums for his political ads, Gordon asked: ?Who believes that Villar will not recoup his expenses if he wins??

Gordon said he and Fernando had the funds to buy ads, but would stay away from this. ?We want to start a vision,? he said.

Gordon and Fernando first got into the truck before transferring to a red pickup.

In the evening, the two gathered in front of Nuestra Señora Del Pilar Cathedral in Imus for a rally attended by some 5,000 people clad in red shirts. Fernando opened the rally singing ?Pitong Gatang? and dancing to the delight of the crowd.

Painted blue, red and silver, the tandem?s ?Optimus Prime? aimed to ?transform the hearts and minds of our people,? Fernando said.

In the popular animated series that has spawned blockbuster movies, ?Optimus Prime,? a truck that transforms into a robot, is the leader of the ?Autobots,? a group waging a battle against the evil forces of the ?Decepticons.?

Fernando, a mechanical engineer, spent nights working on the truck?s design, his campaign staff said. He also reportedly spent more than P20,000 buying ?Optimus Prime? toy trucks just to perfect the design using recycled materials.

The 10-wheel Isuzu prime-mover truck is adorned with what looked like a silver robot that ?speaks? and repeatedly mentions the names of ?Gordon? and ?Bayani.? It is also equipped with a retractable light post that could be used during night rallies.

CDs sound great in CRs

Fernando distributed copies of his soon-to-be-released CD featuring all original Filipino songs to voters.

?Try playing it in the toilet. It?s great! The sound is really smooth,? Fernando told a kibitzer in the gasoline station where he gave away the CDs.

Fernando became a champion of ?Celebrity Duets: Season Two,? a singing contest aired by GMA 7, last year.

?I tried my best to become a celebrity so we won?t have to pay for one to endorse us,? Fernando said in Pilipino. ?The only thing left is for me to eat broken glass to attract attention.? With a report from Maricar P. Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon