Lakas Forges alliance with NPC

With the blessings of President Arroyo as chairman of the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. will represent the administration party in forging today a covenant of alliance with other political parties "to achieve overwhelming victory" in the May 14 midterm elections.

As president of the ruling party, De Venecia will forge an alliance with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) headed by businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.

De Venecia will also sign a separate coalition agreement with the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) headed by Sen. Edgardo Angara.

Angara, for his part, is scheduled to convene a party convention tomorrow to formally ratify the agreement to merge with the ruling coalition.

The signing of the twin agreements will cap the formation of the 12-man "unity ticket" of senatorial "candidates being put up by the administration coalition.

De Venecia will sign the covenant of alliance with Angara on Monday, which coincides with the deadline for the filing of candidacy of senatorial aspirants in the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

But until yesterday, De Venecia admitted to The STAR that they have yet to finalize the senatorial slate as nominations of candidates are still being processed by the Lakas arbitration committee, which he chairs.

"We will discuss the final senatorial slate in consultations with President Arroyo. As a matter of fact, we met with her last night about these matters. But the final Senate slate will definitely be down the wire until the deadline for the filing of candidacy on Monday," De Venecia said.

A highly placed source in the administration party revealed the initial names on the slate.

The party official revealed that the unity ticket senatorial list includes Bukidnon Rep. Miguel Zubiri, Ilocos Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, Zambales Gov. Vic Magsaysay, Optical Media Board chairman Edu Manzano and Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay, who will all represent Lakas.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor, on the other hand, will represent the Liberal Party (LP) faction led by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

Angara will represent the LDP in the unity ticket while former senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Tessie Aquino-Oreta and actor Richard Gomez will come from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Re-electionist Senators Ralph Recto will represent the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) and Joker Arroyo will run as an independent affiliated with the administration.

"The unity ticket is already firmed up, there might be slight changes but as of the moment the list is final," the party official said.

He said the members of the unity ticket will file their respective certificates of candidacy before the Feb. 12 deadline.

Other sources also revealed that the possible inclusion of former senator Gregorio Honasan met strong objection, particularly because it could affect the morale of the military establishment. The former Army colonel is currently detained for rebellion for allegedly abetting the failed Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003.

The NPC and LDP are the latest to join the unity coalition formed by De Venecia aiming for a "strategic partnership" in the coming midterm elections this May.

Only last week, De Venecia signed a coalition agreement with 19 of 21 congressmen belonging to the Atienza faction of the LP.

The latest to join the ruling coalition were 11 of the 23 party-list representatives who signed a covenant with De Venecia in the presence of the President last Tuesday at Malacañang.

"Our battlecry is we will be committed to centrist politics, to liberal democracy, to free elections, to free press, to free markets, and to free environment," De Venecia vowed.

The Lakas-led coalition though has yet to come up with a new name, satisfied in the meantime with what De Venecia calls its working name, "unity ticket."

De Venecia, along with Rep. Marcelino Libanan and Ray Roquero, acting Lakas secretary-general and executive director, respectively, will sign the covenant with their counterparts from the NPC led by its president former Isabela representative Faustino Dy Jr., Frisco San Juan as chairman, and Rizal Rep. Michael John Duavit as NPC secretary-general.

The signing of the Lakas-NPC covenant will take place this morning at the residence of De Venecia in South Forbes, Makati City, where 25 out of the 30-man NPC contingent at the House of Representatives are expected.

The two mainstream political parties, Lakas and NPC agreed "to forge a strategic alliance to bring about wide-ranging political, economic, and social reforms and to mobilize their forces and resources to achieve overwhelming victory in the May 14, 2007 national and local elections" as stated in the draft covenant obtained by The STAR yesterday.

"Both Lakas-CMD and the NPC are in agreement that instead of destructive and poisonous politics, what our country needs these coming elections is a politics of constructive change and politics of hope, discarding the politics of hate, that should become a potent instrument in sustaining and even surpassing the economic growth that we enjoy now, and perhaps achieve 7 percent GDP (gross domestic product) growth beginning 2008," the covenant further stated.

Lakas and NPC have also pledged to work closely with other parties within the ruling coalition, as well as with other political organizations and party-list groups, for a "constructive agenda" to sustain the economic progress, jobs creation, fiscal reforms, and improved delivery of social services to the people. -with Perseus Echeminada