201,000TH FAN MARKS BEGINNING OF 2010
FOR NOYNOY'S ONLINE SUPPORTER BASE
Continuing surge shows unwavering momentum for Aquino presidential bid

MANILA - In the first hours of the new year, Abygail Salcedo clicked a button and became the 201,000th supporter of presidential frontrunner Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" S. Aquino III in his official page on the social networking site Facebook.

Building on a base of 116,000 supporters, the volunteer-run Noynoy New Media Team launched a 20-day campaign in the run-up to 2010, to parallel the wide lead Aquino is enjoying in recent polls.

Supporters from around the world rallied friends and family by initiating impromptu sign-up brigades, personally inviting friends, forwarding e-mails and painting their profile pictures yellow. Some supporters also donated a few dollars a day to widen their reach and advertise their support on the social network.

"The breaching of our goal cements what the polls have been consistently saying for the last four months," said New Media Bureau Head Enteng Romano III. "The momentum is unbroken, Filipinos are steadfastly heeding our call for genuine change in this country."

"This only proves that if we work together and put our hearts into it, we can accomplish great things," he added.

The fan page amassed more than 80,000 new supporters in 20 days. After midnight, the 201k target was easily surpassed, further widening the gap between Aquino and his rivals by more than 50,000 supporters.

On their official Facebook pages, Villar has 153,155 fans; Gilbert Teodoro 26,907, Richard Gordon 2,865, and Joseph Estrada 223.