PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Manny Villar on Wednesday swore in members of the Nacionalista Party (NP) at the Laurel House in Mandaluyong City.

A total of 176 candidates from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), plus other bets from the Visayas and Mindanao, mostly in orange shirts, gathered for the oath-taking.

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Likewise, Villar led the oath-taking of incumbent Pasig City Mayor Robert Eusebio and Vice Mayor Rosalio Martirez.

Senator Manny Villar leads the Nacionalista Party oath taking ceremony. (Sunnex/Angela Casauay)

Eusebio ran under the Lakas Party during the previous election.

He said he is coming back to his roots since his father Enteng Eusebio's original party is really the NP.

Villar said the party has more or less 700 members all over the country, with every town and every province well-represented and more candidates joining in.

While there are sure additions, talks with other groups and individuals are still ongoing.

Party-list Representatives Satur Ocampo (Bayan Muna) and Liza Maza (Gabriela) on Tuesday declared that they will be running for the Senate as independents in the upcoming elections.

The two bets of militant political alliance Makabayan were set to join the NP.

But when Villar’s party inked an alliance with Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) led by Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who is also running for senator, Ocampo and Maza decided to run as independents.

Bongbong's father former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared Martial law in 1986 while his term was characterized by numerous human rights violations.

What ultimately propelled the Makabayan bets to announce that they will be independent candidates was when Villar declared that the Marcos era should be forgotten and that everyone should move on.

Villar said they are just ironing out difference, but Ocampo and Maza will remain to be part of the slate. “We're just not sure exactly how that will happen but we are still fixing that.”

The NP standard bearer also said he will be the one to make a decision when it comes to items in his platform.

According to Ocampo, these include the continued compensation of human rights violation victims during the Marital Law and complete recovery of the Marcos's ill-gotten wealth.

They are set to talk Friday or the day after next.

“For me, the party is a coalition with different parties. Not everyone has to join the NP. What's needed is that all of us have the same platforms. Ka Satur, Liza and my objectives are all the same. They are all truly for the poor,” Villar said.

Ocampo earlier said their lines remain open for the possibility of them running under the NP. (Angela Casauay/Sunnex)