Atienza twits LP’s ‘Gang of 5’

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza resumed yesterday his verbal attacks against what he called the “LP Gang of Five” who eased his group out of the recently concluded party election, a move which he said will be detrimental to the reported presidential bid of Sen. Mar Roxas in the 2010 elections.

“If the LP (Liberal Party) remains divided in 2010 there will be no party presidential candidate,” Atienza told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulu Hotel in Quezon City.

He said the “Gang of Five” led by former Senate President Franklin Drilon has ignored calls from their faction for a national convention and proceeded to install Roxas as its party president.

“Contrary to published reports, we were never invited. We extended our hand in reconciliation but they slapped it,” Atienza said.

He said the group of Drilon even twisted the Supreme Court’s ruling, which provided that there must be a status quo on the leadership of the party. Atienza said this means he remains as chairman and Drilon as president.

Atienza said they are now studying legal options to regain the status quo of the party as ordered by the High Court and to keep it intact so that it can move towards the 2010 elections.

He vowed to continue their crusade to keep the party united and not dictated on by the so-called Gang of Five.

“I still believe that the party will make sense in the future elections,” he said.

Atienza said he is fully supportive of Roxas’ presidential plan as a family friend, but his faction is being eased out because of its support for President Arroyo.

He insisted that the LP should adopt a united stand on political issues, but any decision, particularly those involving national interest, must be decided by the majority and not by a few individuals.

Atienza also hit what he called political amnesia affecting the Drilon group when they failed to mention the name of the late President Diosdado Macapagal as among the great LP stalwarts who left a mark in history.

“During the time of former President Macapagal a ganta of rice is only 80 centavos,” he said.

The former Manila mayor also cited the struggle of the party during the dark days of martial law that made some of its leaders martyrs, among them former senator Benigno Aquino, Evelio Javier and former Zamboanga city mayor Cesar Climaco.