Nearing the homestretch of the campaign, former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada is now out to regain his followers who were allegedly “stolen” by Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer Senator Manny Villar who has projected himself as a champion of the poor, a reputation which catapulted the former to the presidency in 1998.

This developed as new campaign advertisements of Estrada, the standard bearer of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) carry themes which dismisses Villar’s claim that he is “pro-poor.”

Estrada’s new ads on his agenda on housing that were voiced in Filipino said “there are those who got rich building houses but the poor accept those who helped them get houses.” The ad showed Estrada’s accomplishments on his housing program when he was President as his campaign jingle  “Kung May Erap, May Ginhawa” played. The ad in which Villar’s trademark check mark campaign symbol was crossed-out obviously referred to the real estate magnate who claims to have triumphed over poverty.

Estrada’s ad on employment, on the other hand said “there are those who pretend to be persevering, but the poor accept those who really strive hard to help the poor get livelihood.” The ad showed the number of jobs generated during his short-lived administration while Estrada’s “Kung May Erap, May Ginhawa” jingle played. The ad also showed Villar’s trademark check mark campaign symbol being crossed out, obviously referred to the Senator who claimed “sipag at tiyaga (hardwork and perseverance) helped him overcome poverty.

The new ads are part of the renewed media campaign during the last month of the campaign period to improve former Estrada’s chances of winning the May 10 elections, PMP spokesperson lawyer Ralph Calinisan told Manila Bulletin. Estrada is currently trailing Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party (LP), and Villar in the presidential race based on pre-election surveys.

With analysts saying the presidential race is now a three-cornered fight among Aquino, Villar and Estrada, Calinisan said their camp is out to regain the votes Villar has eaten up from Estrada for projecting that he is an alleged champion of the poor.

Calinisan said they have trained their sights on Villar and not on Aquino or other presidential bets because the NP bet is the one who has eaten up on Estrada’s votes based on surveys particularly those from the masses.