Aunor will be administration bet for Camarines Sur governor

Nora Aunor, moviedom’s "Superstar," will be the Arroyo administration’s gubernatorial candidate in Camarines Sur, Education Secretary Raul Roco said yesterday.

Roco said Aunor will run under Aksyon Demokratiko, the political party which he heads and is part of the adminis-tration’s People Power Coalition.

"The party has been negotiating with Nora even before the EDSA People Power 2 broke out. I don’t know when but I think she will soon take her oath (as party member)," Roco said.

Aunor and her running mate, lawyer Manuel Llaguno, will be pitted against the re-electionist tandem of Gov. Luis Villafuerte and Vice Gov. Imelda Papin.

Roco said Aunor has a good chance of winning. "She has the backing of so many people. Even (members of) Migrante have called me from abroad to show their support for Nora," he said, referring to the group of overseas Filipino workers.

Aunor figured prominently in EDSA 2 after she severed ties with ousted President Joseph Estrada, a long-time friend whom she helped catapult to power in 1998, and denounced him for his womanizing and corruption.

Aunor reportedly harbored ill-feelings against Estrada for throwing his support behind Villafuerte, a long-time ally.

Aunor, fondly called "Ate Guy" by her fans, grew up in Iriga City in Camarines Sur. Her rags-to-riches story from a water vendor along the railroad tracks to multi-awarded singer and actress has drawn her a huge following.