Estrada sees ‘landscape’ win, dumps faulty seer

MANILA, Philippines—His detractors might say that former President Joseph Estrada doesn’t have a prayer against his political rival, but that’s exactly what he has going for him, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) candidate for Manila mayor said.

“I’m just praying,” Estrada said, adding that he has dumped his long-time feng shui adviser, following the man’s erroneous prediction that he would win the presidential race three years ago.

“I no longer consult him. He was wrong,” he said of the feng shui specialist, a Singapore national.

Backed by INC

The 76-year-old Estrada, who was to attend a Mass with running mate Isko Moreno at Sto. Niño Church in Tondo, Manila, Friday afternoon, said his “last hurrah” in politics was also backed by at least seven religious groups, including the vote-rich Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC).

Despite a prison term for being convicted of plunder, Estrada placed second to eventual winner, Sen. Benigno Aquino III, in the 2010 presidential election.

Early favorite and highest campaign spender Sen. Manuel Villar, settled for the third spot.

In this year’s mayoral race, Estrada is confident of unseating incumbent Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who is backed by President Aquino and the entire Liberal Party machinery.

‘Landscape victory’

The former movie actor also cited the results of surveys he had commissioned which showed that he would beat Lim, his former interior secretary, by “at least 20 percent.”

It will be a ‘landscape’ victory,” he told the Inquirer in jest.  Estrada also predicted that Moreno would defeat Lim’s vice mayoral candidate Lou Veloso more handily.

“That’s how the election in Manila would play out, as long as there’s no ‘hocus PCOS,” he said, referring to the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines used in the computerized polls.

But already, Estrada’s run for Manila’s top post, is proving to be a costly one.

Family home mortgaged

He had mortgaged the family residence on Polk Street, North Greenhills in San Juan, the former San Juan mayor said, much to the dismay of his wife, former Sen. Luisa “Loi” Ejercito.

“She was mad at me, but I’m not (henpecked),” he said of his wife. “Of course she was only looking out for the children’s (financial) security. She said the property was for them.”

Estrada refused to reveal how much he got to buy the 3,000-square-meter property, but said that he could pay the loan after the election.  He added that part of the money went to his campaign expenses in Manila, while the rest was spent on the candidacy of his son, San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito, who is running for senator.

Ejercito, who is running under UNA, is Estrada’s son with former starlet and now San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez.