They did it a day after Ninoy Aquino's birthday on November 27

Presidential aspirant Benigno Aquino III, his running mate Manuel Roxas II, and 7 of their 9 senatorial candidates today filed their certificates of candidacy under the Liberal Party (LP), in so far the most attended and star-studded activity since the start of the filing period.

While the activity was not short on members of the standard-bearers' prominent clans and celebrity supporters, it passed up what could have been a much more symbolic way of formalizing Aquino's bid for the presidency--that is, to do it on his father's birthday, November 27.

Since Aquino announced his intention to run for president, his camp has been largely hinging their campaign on Aquino continuing the "fight" that his father and namesake, the martyred senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr, and his mother Corazon started.

When asked about this, LP spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Newsbreak that Aquino had other activities to commemorate his father's birthday on Friday, so the filing of COCs had to be done a day later.

"There were so many activities lined up yesterday for his dad's commemoration...and the inauguration of the volunteers' headquarters in the afternoon. Senators Noy and Mar decided to file their COCs today, which will be the only activity, and to give importance as well to the filing of COCs of the Senate slate," Lacierda said in a text message.

A few days earlier, LP campaign manager Butch Abad gave a different reason why the filing was set on November 28--because the many circles represented in the numbers of the date will be lucky, according to feng shui.

Incidentally, November 28 is the birthday of LP senatorial candidate Franklin Drilon, who wasn't able to join the group today because he's reportedly out of the country.

Those who joined Aquino and Roxas were senatorial bets Nereus Acosta, Ralph Recto, Rufino Biazon, Teofisto Guingona III, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Sonia Roco. The two women are guest candidates of the LP. Another candidate, lawyer Alexander Lacson, was represented by his wife Pia.

Detained coup plotter Brigadier General Danilo Lim, another guest senatorial candidate of LP, filed his candidacy Friday ahead of the rest.

Another slot in the LP lineup is supposedly being reserved for former Senator Sergio Osmena III, who recently bolted the party after it accepted Recto. Osmena filed on Thursday his candidacy as an independent.

He said he does not approve of how the LP keeps recruiting "traditional politicians," but said he would still support the presidential bid of Aquino.

Before heading to the Comelec office in Intramuros, the LP team marched from Roxas Boulevard, attended mass at the Manila Cathedral, and held a short program in front of the church.

Aquino boasted that its "people's campaign" strategy has already enlisted 200,000 volunteers. “Bakit naman namin tatanggihan kung sinong gustong sumama sa amin. We will accept everybody who wants to follow the same agenda," he told reporters.

When he announced his presidential bid in September, Aquino said it would be too late to run a traditional campaign, and he would just let the people to do it for him.

Political analyst Benito Lim said that there's a "gap between what Aquino says and what he does."

"He will deny what he's doing, but that is a work of a traditional politician. It just showed their strategy from the very beginning," Lim said in a phone interview.

Part of LP’s entourage were Aquino's sisters Balsy, Pinky, Viel, and TV host Kris; Roxas' mother Judy Araneta-Roxas and wife Korina Sanchez.

Outside the Comelec office, celebrities cheered the LP bets--Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Gretchen Barretto, Cesar Montano, Kim Chu, Erich Gonzales, Enchong Dee, and Coco Martin. Aquino’s girlfriend, Valuenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad, was also outside the poll office.

Supporters, based on the prints on their t-shirts, were organized by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri, and Pasay City Vice Mayor Antonio Calixto. Lim is known as a staunch supporter of former President Corazon Aquino, while Echiverri and Calixto were among the local politicians who left Lakas-Kampi-CMD to join the LP.

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