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ith the Philippine election period now officially underway, the top presidential contenders or "presidentiables" as Filipinos call them, have been whittled down to the top five contenders. Below are the five frontrunners—in alphabetical order (by their last names). See PHILNEWS.COM Survey

Noynoy Aquino—Noynoy has been leading the pack of presidential aspirants from the moment he decided to run. Buoyed by the public outpouring of support during his mother, Cory Aquino's funeral. He is seen as the heir to the Aquino legacy started by his father Ninoy who was assassinated during the Marcos dictatorship, then followed by his mother Cory who later toppled the dictator and led the country for six years. Noynoy's rivals accuse him having achieved little for all his years in public office.

Erap Estrada—Erap who was removed from office barely two years into his presidency now wants it back. Among all the candidates, Erap is the only known quantity having already served as president. Unfortunately there are those who say that his two years in office showed that he was unqualified for the job. Still Erap is banking on his popularity with the masses to elect him back into office.

Dick Gordon—Unlike Erap, many see Dick Gordon as well qualified to be president. His stints as Mayor of Olongapo City, chairman of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Secretary of Tourism, Head of the Philippine Red Cross and now Senator, give him the breadth of experience for the Country's top post.

Gibo Teodoro—Gibo is a seen as a sharp US-educated technocrat who served well as President Arroyo's Secretary of Defense. He also belongs to what was seen only six months ago as the largest and most powerful political party in the country. His political ties to Gloria Arroyo however now seem to be the biggest liability in his quest for the presidency.

Manny Villar—Manny has an inspiring rags-to-riches story that he is using to bolster his campaign and get the votes of the lower classes. A billionaire real estate businessman and current Senator, Manny is using his vast financial resources and political clout to move up in the polls. Currently in second place,  he has been closing in on frontrunner Noynoy Aguino.

Barring any surprises, these five presidential contenders will be battling it out till the May 10 general elections. We'd like to know who you think should be the next president of the Philippines. Vote here then send us your comments. We'd like to hear what you have to say.

Philippine NewsLink reserves the right to select and edit comments for publication.

Comments from Our  Readers Name: R I P, against nationwide, local election From: MISSISSAUGA Remote Name: 122.148.34.58 Comments Sorry PNL if your editorial thinks that I'm out of topic or nuisance to the the context of the issues in this forum, as it seems all of you love this democratic process election & suffrage, "NOT ME" coz back to those who won the election for presidents, senators, congressman & mayors for the past 17 times "more or less" of Nation-wide & Local elections, no one of them lifted up the livelihood of the underprivileged. SO WHAT'S THE USE of this too expensive institution of "election" that at the time of their tenure in office whom you elect are just as corrupt the as the previous ones?!!!...so I insist the entire system is a joke! The bito-bito or just like the palabunutan, simple & inexpensive coz at the end of that democratic process corruption still exists. Name: Alfredo From: USA Remote Name: 98.165.246.235 Comments I don't believe Filipinos are asking for a "quick fix" when they ask for better governance to put us in-step with the rest of our neighbors. I think we're only asking for what is reasonable. If we can say that we're in a race since after WW II, to rise up from the ravages of war, then we failed so miserably. We are trailing just about everybody else. And it's not fair... Name: Manuel C. Diaz From: Montclair CA USA Remote Name: 76.174.219.92 Comments If Villar gets elected as President he will subdivide Luneta the Park into low cost housing projects. If Gibo is elected President he will do a Gerald Ford Pardoning GMA even before charges are filed. Viva Islas de Ladrones. Philippine NewsLink reserves the right to select and edit comments for publication.

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