Edong, Ping, Nene eyed as opposition’s standard bearer

Senators Edgardo Angara, Panfilo Lacson and Aqui-lino Pimentel Jr. are in the short list of the opposition’s probable standard bearer in the 2004 presidential race, former presidential adviser on political affairs Angelito Banayo said yesterday.

Banayo also said that jailed former President Joseph Estrada, titular head of the opposition, will not seek any elective position in 2004.

Banayo said Estrada’s decision to abstain from running for public office was among the issues he and Angara, head of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) party, discussed in a meeting last week at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City where the former president is detained.

Banayo said Estrada emphasized that the opposition must unite behind a single candidate in order to consolidate their votes in the 2004 polls.

"(He spoke) of Lacson, Pimentel and Angara as among the possible contenders of the opposition. He said that whoever is chosen among the three as the party standard bearer, he will help the candidate campaign even from (within) the confines of his temporary detention (cell) at the VMMC," Banayo said.

Banayo said Estrada’s support would translate into 30-33 percent of votes nationwide: "He has to be visible and audible to make the 30-33 percent (of votes) transferable to whoever will be our standard bearer and candidates for 2004."

The former presidential political adviser also said Estrada’s bosom buddy, actor Fernando Poe Jr., is not among the contenders. "FPJ is not interested in politics. Time and again, he had said he will not run," Banayo added.

Former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, for his part, said the Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa) has adopted a resolution rejecting the postponement of the 2004 elections.

"We will submit to Congress the resolution, which opposes the move to postpone the elections (in 2004) as being advocated by some quarters," he said.

Enrile said Philconsa wants Congress to convene itself into a constituent assembly and adopt the 1973 Constitution minus the transitory provision which was a product of the duly elected Constitutional Convention delegates led by the late former President Diosdado Macapagal.

"Afterwards, the (proposal to revert to the 1973 Constitution) will be submitted to a plebiscite no later than January 15 2004 so that the elections in may 2004 will proceed and the election will now be for members of parliament," he said.

Enrile is advocating the reversion of the Philippine system of governance from presidential to the parliamentary form adopted during the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who was ousted from 20 years’ incumbency during the February 1986 people power revolt.