Laban to play lead in 2004 — Angara

The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) will play the lead role in the opposition campaign to wrest control of Malacañang, Sen. Edgardo Angara said yesterday.

Angara, president of LDP, was not invited to the unification meeting of opposition leaders Tuesday night organized by San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora and former agrarian reform secretary Horacio Morales, both stalwarts of the Puwersa ng Masa of ousted President Joseph Estrada.

Angara, however, brushed off comments that his exclusion from the initial meeting indicated that he or the LDP would not have any significant role in the 2004 presidential elections.

He said that the LDP is currently the biggest and best organized opposition party and the opposition could not possibly be united without it playing a pivotal role.

He pointed out that although he was not there, an LDP stalwart, Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III, was.

"Senator Sotto stressed to the other opposition leaders that the LDP must take the lead in all efforts to unify the opposition," Angara added.

Angara is one of the often-mentioned probable opposition candidates for president. The others are Sen. Panfilo Lacson, also of LDP and one of the closest to Estrada, and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. of PDP-Laban.

Angara admitted that he is interested in the presidency but stressed that he considers the unification of the opposition the more important objective.

"If you will recall, in 1998, I was very active in seeking the presidency, but I gave in to Erap for the sake of opposition unity. I am willing to give way again to anyone who is going to be better and will lead and unify the opposition," he intoned.

Angara expressed confidence that other opposition aspirants for the president would display the same spirit. He warned that the opposition would self-destruct if the other aspirants do not display this spirit.

Meanwhile, Angara said that public discussions on possible presidential candidates in 2004 this early would help the electorate make a better choice in the polls.

"The 2004 election is perhaps the most crucial presidential election that the country will ever face, and a wrong choice would signal the skid of the country from its current status of drift and lethargy to full-blown banana republic," he argued.

He said that an early "learning process" on who the candidates are and what they stand for would enable voters to vote based on merit rather than on emotion.