Manalang is a long-time friend and supporter of Estrada even during the term of former President now Pampanga Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He however cut his alliance with Estrada in his mayoralty comeback, taking his oath with the Lakas-CMD and supported Gilbert Teodoro’s presidential bid in 2010.
He returned that year to city hall which he previously occupied for nine years.
Manalang got re-elected in 2013, shifting form Lakas-CMD to being an independent candidate, as he supported Dr. Isa Suntay, a niece of business tycoon Danding Cojuangco, who ran and lost as independent candidate for the Tarlac governorship.
Instead of seeking a last term in office as city mayor, Manalang decided to run for governor of Tarlac, fielding his son, Association of Barangay Chairman (ABC) president Allan Manalang, in the mayoralty race.
According to Sabado, Manalang will file his candidacy at the Capitol on October 12.
