Among the major presidential contenders, two candidates still have to make their announcements on who their running mates would be.

Of course we’re not counting Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero here. Escudero is apparently running as an independent and would be running alone.

His supporters from the progressive military-based group Magdalo led by Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes, the Filipino for Peace, Justice and Progress Movement, and the various sectoral “Team Chiz” groups  would focus their support on his presidential bid.

There are talks of the possibility of a Chiz-Ping tandem. A team up with Senator Ping Lacson would indeed be formidable.

Even without a senatorial lineup or complete set of local candidates, or perhaps because of it,  the Escudero-Lacson partnership could give the candidates of the mainstream political parties a run for their money since they would not need the immense funding needed in running a traditional presidential campaign.

Remember Lacson already has an experience running as an independent presidential candidate in the 2004 election where he got a respectable 3.5-million votes.

Both Escudero and Lacson have proven their vote-getting abilities even with meager campaign budgets and if the Escudero-Lacson teamup happens, it might provide the big surprise in the May 2010 elections.

Independent candidates have an even better chance in the 2010 automated elections where votes for them have a better chance of being counted.

But among the mainstream candidates one of those who still do not have a vice presidential partner is Administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD party standard-bearer Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.

For a while it seemed that Teodoro’s running mate would be Interior Secretary Ronnie Puno but in a surprising announcement the other week, Puno said he was withdrawing from the vice presidential race and would rather concentrate on the massive relief and rehabilitation efforts for the victims of the string of typhoons which hit the country recently.

There are other names mentioned as possible running mates of Teodoro including Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos and Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia.

However, the two governors have repeatedly said that they are not interested in running for vice president and would rather continue serving their province and run for re-election.

Indeed both Santos and Garcia would probably face token opposition for their re-election bid. It is unlikely that they would exchange a sure thing with the uncertain bid for the vice presidency.

Convincing the popular actress-politician Santos to run as vice president has another major impediment. How could Santos run as vice president under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD when her husband, former Economic Planning Secretary and ex-Senator Ralph Recto, is running for the Senate with Senator Manny Villar’s  Nacionalista Party.

The latest name floated as a possible tandem for Gibo is Local Water Utilities Administration Chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay.

The feisty former outstanding three-term congressman appears to be a good choice as running mate of Teodoro in many ways.

Although political experts are saying that the so-called geographical balance is passé, having a presidential candidate from Luzon and a vice presidential candidates representing Visayas and Mindanao has significant political value.

Also, the feisty Pichay can provide a good counterpoint to the laid-back Teodoro. Pichay could articulate the tandem’s position on many controversial issues that Teodoro might be reluctant to touch.

The 2004 senatorial campaign has given Pichay national prominence. He might not have won in that election but his good placing earned him respect especially since he made the decision to run for senator late. He started in the 1930s in surveys made at the start of the senatorial campaign.

Pichay has enhanced his nationwide network after the 2004 senatorial elections in LWUA where he has dubbed himself as the “water boy of the Philippines” and in sports where among others he has provided new vigor in chess which has been in the doldrums before his entry.

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Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manny Villar is the other presidential candidate who has not yet announced his choice of a running mate.

The name often mentioned as the probable vice presidential tandem of Villar is Senator Loren Legarda but it seems that if Villar had his druthers, he’d prefer to have Vice President Noli de Castro as his running mate instead.

De Castro is a longtime friend and ally of Villar. Both are members of the Senate “Wednesday Group” which has Senator Joker Arroyo, Senator Kiko Pangilinan as its other members.

De Castro, according to people close to him, is bent on retiring from politics and returning to media. He was one of the country’s leading broadcasters when he ran and topped the senatorial race.

The vice presidential race is expected to be close and there is a good possibility that the elected president would not be his running mate. This has happened several times before in past presidential elections including former President Estrada who ran as vice president of Ambassador Danding Cojuangco and President Arroyo who ran as vice president of former Speaker Joe de Venecia.

Perhaps when the Constitution is finally amended and the presidential system is retained, those who will amend the Constitution will consider adopting the American system of block voting for the position of president and vice president.

This way it will ensure that the president and vice president will come from the same party.