Mar Roxas will be the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party in 2010, party chairman Franklin Drilon and other party leaders announced on Friday. Drilon also said the LP will not coalesce with other parties unless they accept Roxas as standard bearer.

“That’s correct, yes, we will not agree to a any coalition [if] Mar Roxas is not the standard bearer,” Drilon said at a press conference in Manila.

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Manny Villar confirmed Wednesday night that he will run for president in the May 2010 elections. ABS-CBN interviewed Villar at the birthday party of Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares. Asked by News Correspondent Maricar Bautista whether he will seek the presidency in 2010, Villar said "Yes, I'll be running in 2010, for president. There's no turning back...", in Filipino.

Villar, president of the Nacionalista Party, the country's oldest political party, said he still has to consult his friends and allies on who will be running in his ticket in 2010. Villar said Poe's daughter, Mary Grace, is welcome to join his ticket if she wants to, and she would give his team a boost.

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Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando has thrown his hat in the increasingly crowded ring of presidential aspirants.

"You can't be too coy about this," said the official. "You have to let people know what you want."

"Yes, I want to run," he said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer