By JC BELLO RUIZ
Manila Bulletin
He turned out to be his closest rival for the presidency, but the campaign team of President-apparent Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy†Aquino III said
former President Joseph Estrada might have contributed to the successful presidential bid of the only son of the late President Corazon Aquino and Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.
Looking back, Chito Gascon, director general of the Liberal Party (LP), admitted that Estrada's decision to run might have hurt other candidates, particularly Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar who appeared to be the survey-favorite and Aquino's toughest rival for the presidency during the early part of the campaign.
Gascon said they had difficulty handling Estrada's case since Aquino's advocacy concerns the battle against corruption – an issue sensitive to the deposed president who was ousted from power on corruption charges.
“Mayroon kaming ilang issues na gustong patingkarin kaugnay kay GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) pero sabit din siya (Estrada). Pero ayaw naman rin naming sabihin nating ma-antagonize dahil sa totoo lang nakatulong yung kaniyang pagkakandidatura para pambawas ng boto ng ibang kandidato,†said Gascon, who was a guest in the “Tonight with Arnold Clavio†show in QTV Channel 11 Monday night.
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