Trillanes bares plan to run for vice president in 2016

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV announced on Thursday (June 25) that he would be joining the vice presidential race in 2016.

The Nacionalista Party (NP) is still mulling its final lineup, but Trillanes stood firm in his decision to run as a member of the party whatever its decision.

"Ever since I entered politics in 2007, I wasn't afraid of losing," he said.

The senator, however, said that there's a need to strategize his campaign as he believes Sen. Francis Escudero will be the frontrunner for the vice presidential race.

Party options

In finalizing the line-up, Trillanes said NP is considering different options. Among them a possible tie-up with the Liberal Party or adopting an independent candidate, like Sen. Grace Poe, to run as the party's standard bearer.

Another option is to ask party members who they want to support.

According to the senator, the NP will have a meeting in July to discuss possible presidential candidates.

Trillanes, a former lieutenant senior grade in the Navy, took part in failed coup attempts against President Gloria Arroyo in 2003 and 2007.

In 2007, Trillanes joined the senatorial race and won while still in prison over the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, where soldiers from the Magdalo group demanded the resignation of military officials involved in alleged corruption in the Philippine Navy's procurement system.

They also called for the resignation of then President Arroyo.

Soldiers involved in the coup attempts were given amnesty by President Benignio Aquino III in 2010 under Proclamation No. 75.

CNN Philippines' Anna Estanislao contributed to this story.