With the May 2010 elections fast approaching, a united opposition with a single presidential candidate remains a pipe dream, a veteran lawmaker said Saturday.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he expects at least four presidential candidates will come from the ranks of the opposition, adding it is likely that the final battle will only be between Senators Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. and Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

“The two most probable candidates for the presidency in the final rank would be Manny Villar and Mar Roxas,” Pimentel said at the weekly “Kapihan sa Sulo” forum in Quezon City.

Besides Villar and Roxas, Pimentel said former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Jamby Madrigal may also push through with their candidacies.

“Definitely Mar and Manny won’t back out. Loren (Legarda) would likely be vice-president for Erap, which is being contested by Jojo (Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay), whose PDP (Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino) endorsement is also being contested by Jamby,” he said.

The veteran lawmaker said that in the case of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, campaign funding is a big concern for him.

“I was able to talk to the father (Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III) and he said Chiz is bent on running for president but a big drawback is the fact that he’s not independently wealthy,” Pimentel said.

He noted that businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., the founder of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) might field Escudero as presidential candidate, is in the United States “right now for some medical procedures.”

“And it would be a problem for a wealthy businessman like Lucio Tan to invest a huge amount of money to fund the candidacy of a person na baka hindi manalo,” Pimentel said, referring to Escudero.

He said a decision by Estrada to run again is motivated by his desire to restore his honor and dignity which he lost when he was ousted in 2001 and convicted of a plunder charge in 2007.

“I think he wants a final vindication,” Pimentel said. “But I think that is manifest. I think that has already been proven. He’s the only presidential aspirant na pinagkakaguluhan kahit saan siya magpunta.”

The head of the Senate opposition bloc also said there is always that risk of the Supreme Court disqualifying Estrada.

“Estrada may also probably run knowing that there’s a possibility that he will be disqualified. There is a big possibility that upon filing he will immediately be challenged. His eligibility to run for the presidency maybe questioned before the Supreme Court and considering its present composition,
he might just be disqualified,” Pimentel warned.