Former President Joseph Estrada announced Sen. Bong Revilla on Tuesday accepted the invitation of his political party, the Pwersa ng Masa (PMP) to join its senatorial slate as a guest candidate with him as the PMP standard bearer in the May 2010 presidential race following their meeting in Estrada’s North Greenhills home.

Estrada, who was Revilla’s wedding sponsor, said the details of the senator’s acceptance will be officially released by the movie actor-turned-legislator himself by today.

The acceptance by Revilla, who belongs to the government’s Lakas-Kampi party, puts to an end rising speculation that the Estrada-Revilla family feud had finally healed completely.

Revilla and Estrada’s son, Senate President Protempore Jinggoy Estrada enjoyed a long and close friendship, made stronger during their days in the movies until the wounds of the January 2001 power-grab events took them apart the same political spectrum.

In making public Revilla’s running as a PMP senatorial candidate, Estrada expressed confidence that the once strong ties of both the Estrada and Revilla families will revert to that bond of friendship they enjoyed for a long time.

At the same time, former Ambassador to the United States Ernesto Maceda, Estrada’s chief political strategist and esteemed campaign spokesman, said the mass defection of incumbent local officials among governors, mayors, vice mayors and councilors to the PMP continues as the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) approaches.