MANILA -- At least 176 candidates from different provinces in the country joined the Nacionalista Party (NP), as Lito Lapid of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) Wednesday.

Presidential aspirant Senator Manny Villar of the NP swore in Wednesday members of his political group at the Laurel House in Mandaluyong City.

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The candidates, mostly in orange shirts, come from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), plus other bets from the Visayas and Mindanao.

Villar, the NP standard bearer, also led the oath-taking of incumbent Pasig City Mayor Robert Eusebio and Vice Mayor Rosalio Martirez.

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' 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.

Lapid, meantime, already filed his COC at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Intramuros Wednesday morning.

The movie actor-turned-politician is currently a member of the Senate and served as the governor of Pampanga from 1997 to 2003.

For next year's elections, he is seeking again a senatorial seat under the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD, whose standard bearers -- presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro and running mate Edu Manzano -- were in Pampanga for a visit.

Not a single official of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, however, showed up to greet Teodoro and Manzano during their visit around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Lapid announced last September that he will be running for the gubernatorial post in his hometown province but later on changed his mind when he was wooed by his party.

"Some people say that the Leon Guerrero of Pampanga should return but I decided to continue my work in the Senate," he said.

The 54-year-old senator said the ruling party needs his support especially now that other party members are leaving their standard bearer Teodoro.

"I can never leave him (Teodoro) behind," said Lapid.

He expressed confidence that Teodoro will win in the 2010 elections as the new leader of the country despite his low ratings in survey results.

Two other senatorial aspirants have filed their COCs before the poll body, including a retired police officer and activist.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Maganto said he will prioritize the protection of media amid the recent killings in Maguindanao where the death toll has climbed up to 57.

"If I am elected president, I will hold those responsible within 24 hours to answer their crime," said Maganto.

Activist Armando Manahan, for his part, was honest when he said he considers himself as a nuisance candidate.

But Manahan still hopes that Comelec will approve his COC. If not, he will give a speech about the poll body's failure to address wrongdoings during elections.

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, presidential aspirants have reached 17, two for vice presidential post and 17 for senators. (Kathrina Alvarez/With Angela Casauay/JTD and IOF of Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)