For former Senator Maria Anna Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, the son of the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino holds the only key to her old office in the Senate.
Madrigal said her former presidential opponent, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, has the ‘magic’ which could lure voters into electing her back to Senate, following her loss in the presidential elections in 2010.
Related story: Madrigal, Villar bury the hatchet, now in one team
She even believes that Aquino’s endorsing power is better than those
coming from celebrities including her former endorser, Judy Ann “Juday”
Santos.
“I’m very happy and thankful for what Juday did for me in 2004.
But to me, there’s no better endorser than President Aquino,” Madrigal told reporters.
“With President Aquino in Team PNoy, it’s like magic,” she described.
Related story: Jamby won't tap celeb endorsers
While
running for the 2010 presidential race, the former senator said hiring
celebrities to boost the candidacy of politicians to public office
“insults” Filipino intelligence.
This offended Santos, who helped Madrigal secure Senate seat with her celebrity endorsement in 2004.
Not
performing well early on in her presidential bid three years ago,
Madrigal expressed regret for joining the bandwagon when she first
attempted to be a senator in 2004.
Aside from the chief
executive, then presidential hopefuls Senator Manuel “Manny” Villar and
former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada both spent hefty sums on
celebrity endorsements.
“Well some of my teammates have
(celebrity endorsers). It’s not that I am open or close (to it), but I
think there is no better endorser than our President at the moment,”
Madrigal said.
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Her reverence for the chief executive seems to
convince Madrigal that President Aquino’s blessing has surpassed the
power of the so-called Cory Magic.
“President Aquino’s magic is the best. The magic in Team PNoy is stronger than Cory Magic,” she added.
In
1987, the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino was able to carry her 22
out of 24 senatorial candidates to the winning circle in the 1987
elections.
