*** Presidential elections in the Philippines are still more than a year away, but already candidates are lining Up to take on the embattled Cory Aquino. Leading the pack are a former top government official, Minam Defensor-Santiago, who has been sacked by Aquino, and a movie star/politician, Joseph "Erap" Estrada. ***

Among the gaggle of presidential candidates poised to take on Philippine President Corazon Aquino arc two who have soared to the top of the popularity polls, often surpassing Aquino herself.

They arc Miriam Pcfcnsor-Santiago. a Judge and former government official sacked by Aquino, and Joseph Estrada, a one-time mayor of a Manila suburb best known for his 30-year acting career.

Santiago, an outspoken warrior against corruption, rose to the cabinet undei Aquino but was removed, many believe because of Aquino's suspicion that rebels wanted

.Santiago as president.

Estrada, known by the nickname Erap, is Immensely popular, with the Filipino masses, partly because of the swashbuckling roles that have dotted his movie career, but also because of his brash. anti-American rhetoric.

With the May 1992 presidential elections little more than a year away. Santiago is moving to clinch a deal to secure her place as the presidential candidate of one of the major parties.

As a former Judge who became a colourful public figure under Aquino, opinion polls consistently put Santiago in top spot as the country's most popular public personality.

Iler terms as Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation and later briefly as Secretary of Agrarian Reform, secured her a place as a woman ■

of action. As head of immigration she made very public efforts to root out grafters, crime syndicates and drug smugglers in the most corrupt of government agencies.

Aquino plucked Santiago from a sedate Job as a court Judge In 1988 to clean up the graft-ridden immigration agency at a time when the public was clambering for a crackdown.

No one was prepared for Miriam the Unconventional. While she had some success in raising alien registration and arrests, she also stepped on Iocs with such outbursts as

shouting at airport officials: "I'm going to chop you into 1,000 pieces and feed you to the sharks in Manila Bay."

Little wonder her enemies consider her on the lunatic fringe. They hounded her all the way to the congressional commission on appointments that finally rejected her promotion to the cabinet post of Secretary of Agrarian Reform.

Law has not tempered her. When a congressman accused Santiago of corruption, she exploded. calling him "fungus-faced". and challenging him to a fist fight. She asked another to go stick his finger in the

wall socket and suggested to another congressman that he have a frontal lobotomy.

While nicknamed the "Dragon Lady", she wept when Aquino gave her the sack. "I begged her, but Mrs Aquino never gave me the reason," she recounted. She assumed she had been fired because documents captured from military rebels named her as one of those who would be called lo form a government if Aquino were overthrown.

The snub propelled her to seek the presidency In 1992. "I felt shortchanged. I felt hu-- milialcd I fell an imp i iitvc

need lo change the Philippine political culture."

Asked about her opinion of Aquino's leadership style, Santiago struggled to hold her tongue: "What's wrong with Cory? She's surrounded by people contemplating their navels." Iler eyes rolled up to her office ceiling .

The candidacy of "Erap" Estrada, the movie actor for president provokes laughter among Manila's urban elite. Yet the man dismissed as the least qualified for the Job may have the last laugh.

"I am not worried that I am not seriously taken by the bdr gls (bourgeoisie)." Estrada sold. They arc less than 10 per cent. I have the other 70 per cent."

The biggest part of the electorate is commonly known as the barkya crowd, the Filipino masses who adore Erap, at 53, a veteran actor of 30 years. Many forget he was for 17 years mayor of San Juan, a municipality of Manila, and from the testimony of many, a good one at that.

Indeed, his Image as movie Idol seems indelible. Between administrative duties as mayor, he rushed to the silver screen, swashbuckling his way into the hearts of fair ladies, as champion of the poor. In a type-cast role.

Thus il came as a shock to the other half-dozen serious

aspirants to the presidency to discover Estrada consistently In the lop three slots in Independent popularity polls.

Estrada won the country's best actor award five limes. He says: "Whatever I am now the popularity, the tame, the glory-I owe ft all to the Filipino masses. They patronise local movies. I owe nothing to the burgis."

The matinee Idol still sports the Fifties look of lowered sideburns and pompadour hairstyle. Ills barong shirt collar covers his short neck, touching his car lodes. Ue is not the Manila middle-class matron's Idea of a deadly charmer.

These days he uses such slogans as The US bases arc the root cause of our poverty." or The International Monetary Fund (IMF) dictates our econ-

omy."

Some conservatives worry thaFEstrada Is a captive of the left, a'non-intcllcctual who call be easily manipulated. But his supporters assert that he is Hi tener who is willing to k-arn.

Estrada the movie idol has left a path of broken hearts In his wake. He has had three wives and many children. Since becoming a senator, he has tried to clean up his act and now acknowledges h|s first wife as the official one

The gossip columnists describe him as having been ravaged by "bed and booze." The movie king makes no apologies. "I am a man. I don’t run away from responsibilities.' — GEMINI NEWS.

ABBY TAN Is a Singapore^ Journalist specialising in economic and political affairs u,^ has been based in Manila tinea 1977