MANILA, Philippines - The ruling Liberal Party (LP)’s coalition with other political parties will announce to the public by the end of September its 12-member senatorial ticket for the May 2013 midterm elections, President Aquino disclosed yesterday.
“We are in a coalition so (of course) who gets the last slot (is being discussed), then we will announce. Hopefully, by next month we will formally introduce our slate,” he told Palace reporters.
Aquino, chairman of the LP, said they have successfully trimmed down the initial list of 30 candidates to 13, but that they still need to remove one name.
He refused to say, however, the total number of candidates LP will be accepting from their allies in the Nacionalista Party of Sen. Manny Villar and Nationalist People’s Coalition of business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III will be the lone senatorial bet from PDP-Laban that could be included in the LP coalition ticket.
Technically, there will only be one LP candidate – House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III – in the 12-man coalition slate but there still seems to be problems over his inclusion, as observers noticed Aquino has not endorsed him lately. Customs commissioner Ruffy Biazon will be the second original LP bet, but he has yet to decide if he will leave the Bureau of Customs.
He reportedly wants his father, Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, to run for senator, but Aquino has not spoken to him.
So far, among the candidates who are sure to be included in the coalition ticket are: Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara (LDP), Risa Hontiveros (Akbayan party-list group), Pimentel (PDP-Laban), Aquino’s first cousin Bam Aquino (Kaya Natin) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva, if he finally decides to run. Villanueva, son of evangelist Eddie Villanueva, belongs to the party-list group Citizens Battle Against Corruption.
Prior to his appointment to TESDA, the younger Villanueva was a colleague of then Tarlac Rep. Aquino in the opposition bloc at the House of Representatives.
From the NP wing will be re-electionist Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano, and Villar’s wife former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar.
Villar’s group is lobbying for the inclusion of former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers in the LP-NP-NPC ticket, but reliable sources divulged Aquino prefers former Sen. Jamby Madrigal, who was his former colleague before she lost a run for the presidency in 2010.
Aquino, Madrigal and Sen. Panfilo Lacson are close friends in the Senate.
Another possible bet of the coalition is chair Grace Poe-Llamanzares of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, who enjoys high popularity rating, being the daughter of the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr.
From the NPC camp, the guest candidates will be Aquino’s allies re-electionist Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda. While Escudero technically bolted NPC in 2010, he and Cojuangco have reportedly mended fences.
The party was not one of convenience but of common beliefs on the country’s direction, Aquino said.
Aquino said that he and Sen. Pimentel share the same advocacies in life, particularly in efforts to introduce electoral reforms because they have been victims of election fraud, though he was more fortunate than Pimentel, having assumed office in 2007.
Aquino said that being an opposition lawmaker then, there were also instances when his votes were manipulated.
Pimentel lost to rival Team Unity candidate Migz Zubiri, who was proclaimed 12th senator.
Pimentel was only able to sit as senator when Aquino assumed office, after the Senate Electoral Tribunal ruled in favor of his electoral protest against Zubiri.
Meanwhile, former President Joseph Estrada welcomed the inclusion of Pimentel in the senatorial ticket of the LP-led coalition.
Estrada said the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial slate is almost complete and is composed of people with high integrity and capability. – With Jose Rodel Clapano, Marvin Sy