Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said yesterday that there is a strong possibility that former President Estrada might win in the 2010 presidential elections because he is still politically strong despite his past.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, a party mate of Estrada, supported Zubiri’s assessment by saying that Estrada is being mobbed by his fans wherever he goes and could easily outdraw any other presidential candidate everywhere.

The parallel assessment of these two pro-administration senators was expected to shake the rafters of the administration political headquarters.

Zubiri, however, emphasized that an administration candidate is sure to emerge as a minority president should there be five or probably more presidential candidates.

At the political opposition, there are several potential presidential bets.

They are Sen. Manuel ‘’Mar’’ A. Roxas II, president of the Liberal Party (LP); Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., president of the Nacionalista Party (NP); Sen. Francis ‘’Chiz’’ Escudero; and Sen. Loren Legarda.

Both Escudero and Legarda are members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) founded in 1991 by former Ambassador Eduardo ‘’Danding’’ Cojuangco who is the uncle of pro-administration Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro II who recently affiliated with the pro-administration Lakas-Kampi coalition.

The race for the presidency in the administration party appeared to be a three-way contest among Teodoro, Sen. Richard Gordon and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando.

Estrada had maintained that he would be forced to run in case the presidentiables in the political opposition want to run individually and reject his proposal that they form an alliance to field a lone bet to ensure victory in the coming national and local elections.