Chiz as independent vice presidential bet?

MANILA, Philippines - Senators Loren Legarda and Francis “Chiz” Escudero, former colleagues in the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), will be slugging it out in the vice presidential race.

Escudero used to be the presumptive standard-bearer of the party until he abandoned it, reportedly after failing to be assured of funding.

Escudero will be seeking higher office in the May 2010 elections, but only as a vice-presidential candidate, and will run as an independent without any political party.

A reliable source who requested anonymity revealed that the opposition senator will make good his promise not to run under any political party, as he turned down all proposals from powerful parties for him to join them in next year’s elections.

“He will run as an independent vice-presidential candidate. As of the moment, that is settled and that is the game plan,” he said, adding that Escudero will be making his announcement soon.

“Chiz will be true to his word that those aspiring for the highest positions (president and vice president) in the land should be free from political debts to any party,” the insider explained further.

Both the parties of frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party and Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party have made offers to Escudero, but he turned them down.

LP wanted to have Escudero as campaign manager.

“There were offers from the Nacionalistas and Liberals. The LP officials even went to his (Escudero) house in Quezon City to (ask him to) be Noynoy’s campaign manager,” the source said.

The insider added that Escudero has yet to choose the presidential candidate that he will be endorsing.

Escudero abandoned the NPC of business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., his party for 11 years since 1998, when he first ran as congressman of the first district of Sorsogon, where he served until 2007.

Escudero surprised even his closest party mates when he bolted the NPC.

Legarda later hinted a possible team-up with Escudero was close to impossible following his abrupt decision to leave the party and his failure to consult them on his move.

Escudero, who was expected to announce his run for the presidency when he turned 40 last Oct. 10, belied reports that he left the NPC after Cojuangco – chairman emeritus and financier – refused to bankroll his campaign, and instead promised to contribute only P200 million.

As per news reports, Escudero was said to have been asking for P5 billion, but the senator denied this.

He told a local TV network that he never relied on Cojuangco for his financial needs, adding the businessman did not contribute that much to his past political campaigns.

Escudero said Cojuangco did not even offer any support when he first ran in 1998.

Cojuangco and Escudero’s father, Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III, were both cronies of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

Cojuangco served as ambassador while Escudero III was agriculture minister.

The younger Escudero can always return to the Senate if he loses in 2010, as his term ends in 2013 yet.

Meanwhile, the militant women’s group Gabriela yesterday threw its support for the vice-presidential candidacy of Legarda in the May 2010 elections for consistently championing women’s rights.

“She (Loren) has been a consistent ally on key issues,” said Rep. Liza Maza, who disclosed that Legarda had actively promoted women’s rights through her support for the enactment of various laws related to women.

Among the landmark measures she helped craft are the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

In a statement, Maza cited Legarda’s “consistent advocacy of environmental protection as one important reason” for her group’s decision to support the lady senator in the May 2010 national elections.

Maza will be running for senator in the May 2010 elections. She welcomed Legarda’s staunch support for “a just and lasting peace through the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front.”

She likewise cited Legarda for supporting Gabriela’s stand to review the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement.

“We hope that she will continue to pursue these advocacies as she seeks higher office in the May 2010 elections,” Maza said.

Legarda, of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, announced her team-up with Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party Wednesday.