Estrada dumps Poe, to support Lacson team

Deposed president Joseph Estrada has withdrawn support for his best friend Fernando Poe Jr's bid for the presidency in the May elections and is reportedly trying to arrange a team-up between presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson and former senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

A report by the opposition afternoon daily Abante Tonite, said Estrada had met with Lacson on January 3 at the former's detention facility at an army training camp east of Manila in Tanay town.

Estrada was earlier reported to be all out in his support for Poe, his contemporary in the action film circuit. The former president had an open conversation with Lacson over his disaffection with Poe and the decision by the opposition alliance, the Coalition of United Filipinos (KNP), to take in Senator Loren Legarda as his vice presidential running mate.

Legarda has been at the forefront of the 2000 impeachment of Estrada over allegations of corruption and her inclusion in the KNP ticket has been taken by the former president as a personal affront.

The inclusion of Legarda, a television journalist-turned-politician and former ruling party stalwart, had also threw the 12-man line up of KNP senatorial candidates in disarray.

Imee Marcos, a House member and daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos said she is withdrawing from the KNP senatorial slate after hearing of the decision by the coalition to take in Legarda.

Santiago was also reportedly incensed that Legarda had taken a slot that was promised to her by Estrada, who is still the recognised senior leader of the political opposition.

Although the political exercise was aborted, it was eventually instrumental in stirring Filipinos into an uprising against their then president in January 2001.

Separate reports also said that Santiago had been included in the Lakas-CMD senatorial slate. But in a report by ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Santiago said she would decide before January 15 whether she would run as Lacson's vice-presidential candidate or as a senatorial bet under Arroyo's ticket.