For Loren’s sake, I’ll withdraw my bid in 2004 — Flavier

Senate President Pro Tempore Juan Flavier would give way to Sen. Loren Legarda if she decides to run for president next year.

"I like Loren being my friend," he said in an interview. "Once she runs for president or for any position that I would run and she will be my opponent, I will withdraw. I will back out from the race."

On the other hand, Legarda, who earlier announced she would seek "a higher position," said she welcomed the statement of Flavier.

"I appreciate that and that would probably be inputted in my decision on what position to run for," she said.

Legarda topped the list of "senatoriables" in the recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), getting a 37 percent acceptance rating.

In a separate interview, Sen. Noli de Castro said he has not yet decided whether to run for president or vice president in next year’s elections.

De Castro said people from the administration and opposition have been meeting with him to try to convince him to run for "higher" office.

"There is only one reading that I have on that, the 16 million who voted for me did not change," he said. "They are still intact and they still trust me after two years as a senator. To tell you frankly, up to now I’m still studying the matter."

De Castro said he did not plan to be a politician and that he is still a greenhorn in politics even after two years as a senator.

"I must admit that running for president or for vice president is not like the Senate," he said. "You cannot even run as an independent because, at this time, if you will run for vice president or president, you will need financial and political support. Whoever runs now, especially for president, should have political support."

De Castro said the results of popularity surveys are a "big consideration" for him if he decides to run for president.

"Running for president or vice president is a one-on-one situation," he said. "When I ran for senator, I spent a little. Vice president and president are very different."

De Castro topped the vice presidential and presidential choice of respondents in a recent SWS survey, getting an acceptance rating of 22 and 23 percent.

In the vice presidential survey, Legarda was second to De Castro, garnering a 14-percent acceptance rating; Flavier, 12 percent; Sen Panfilo Lacson, 10 percent; Sen. Sergio Osmeña Jr., 10 percent; Senate President Franklin Drilon, eight percent; Sen. Gregorio Honasan, seven percent; Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., six percent; and Vice President Teofisto Guingona, three percent.

In the presidential survey, former education secretary Raul Roco placed second at 25 percent; action star Fernando Poe Jr., 18 percent; Lacson, 11 percent; Flavier, seven percent; Pimentel, four percent; Legarda, three percent; and Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, one percent. –Jose Rodel Clapano