Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said yesterday that three or four presidential aspirants from the opposition have reportedly sought the endorsement of the Arroyo administration through backdoor channels.

“I know of three but the fourth I don’t know. But please forgive me, I will not name names. At any rate I know three of them are working both streets so to speak for election purposes,” Cruz said.

He said that he was able to verify the identities of the three through his sources.

“I verified it to my sources and both of them said the same thing,” said Cruz.

Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo has earlier claimed that he and his mother’s allies had been approached by presidential wannabes to clarify that they were not really against Mrs. Arroyo but had to criticize her in public as part of their political posturing.

But the 74-year-old prelate was no longer surprised with Mikey’s revelations saying this has long been the practice of politicians.

“This is a practice which has been there even before this administration.

That one is both an opposition and administration at the same time depending on where you’ll get more favors or if you get more favors by being in both, so be it. There’s nothing strange about this,” Cruz said.

At least two presidential aspirants namely Senators Francis Chiz Escudero and Manny Villar already denied approaching Arroyo or any of her allies for support.