THE ruling party Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats will hold an expanded executive committee meeting next week to discuss the selection process for its standard-bearer in the 2010 presidential elections.

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said aside from the five candidates identified with the administration, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. is also being endorsed by some groups within the party as standard-bearer.

Claudio, the deputy secretary general of Lakas and head of the secretariat for the selection committee, said the names announced by Presidential Management Staff chief Cerge Remonde were ?a reasonably accurate list.?

?That list is headlined by Vice President Noli de Castro after all he?s number one in surveys and already the second highest elected official of the land. But Lakas will not get ahead of the Vice President. We will respect his discernment, judgment and sense of timing regarding his own political plans,? he said.

The initial shortlist of the administration includes De Castro, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte and Senator Richard Gordon, whom Claudio described as ?presidential material all.?

?Senator Bong Revilla is also being endorsed by some groups within the party. But our coalition with other political parties will also affect our choice for standard-bearer,? Claudio said.

Claudio said the Jan. 29 meeting aims to ?assess present and prospective political conditions in relation to the 2010 polls and to discuss plans for securing the party?s cohesion, preparedness and dominance.?

?The broad criteria and process for choosing and fielding a standard-bearer will also be discussed,? he added.

Earlier, Deputy Presidential spokesman Lorelei Fajardo called on all presidential aspirants to already declare their intention to run for next year?s polls.

?We are asking all presidentiables to submit themselves to the public as early as now so that the public will know their track record and intention for running. The public should be given time to discern their choice, study the candidates, and see for themselves if these candidates have the capacity to lead the country,? Fajardo said.

?We will be electing these people to the highest position in the land and it will be prudent for us to study who we will vote for,? she added.

She said the selection process has begun. ?There is a committee doing the selection process, and among the considerations are the track record and performance of the possible administration standard-bearer and their winnability,? Fajardo said. Joyce Pangco Pa?ares