NP still consulting members on Poe

MANILA, Philippines - The Nacionalista Party is still in the process of consulting its members on whether or not it will maintain its coalition with the administration or throw support behind independent Sen. Grace Poe in next year’s elections, Sen. Cynthia Villar said yesterday.

Villar, wife of NP president Manny Villar, debunked claims by Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao, Nationalist People’s Coalition president, that there are ongoing talks between the NPC and the NP to support the presidential bid of Poe and her perceived running-mate Sen. Francis Escudero.

“I do not know what is the basis of NPC president Giorgidi Aggabao for claiming that NPC and the NP are forming an alliance to support the candidacy of Sen. Grace Poe as president and Sen. Francis Escudero as vice president,” she said.

In a statement, Sen. Villar said the news came as a surprise to her and her husband after Aggabao was reported as saying that support for the Poe-Escudero tandem is gathering steam at the NP and NPC.

She said the NP is presently  consulting its ranks, and has set a September deadline for officially announcing the party’s participation in the May 2016 polls.

“To reiterate, we have to first determine the plans of our own members before we can express support for non-members. We are very proud of our party,” she said.

There are three NP members who have expressed intent to run for higher office next year, namely: Sens. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Trillanes has said that such reports that NP will be supporting a Poe-Escudero tandem are part of propaganda.

It was Sen. Ralph Recto, a Liberal Party stalwart, who predicted that the NPC would likely support a Poe-Escudero tandem since the NPC has no candidates for president and vice-president next year.

Recto said the NP might maintain the LP as a coalition partner, possibly if the administration bloc could choose from the three NP stalwarts to become the running mate of presumptive presidential candidate Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

“I may be wrong, but it will be easier to preserve the coalition if the vice president will come from the Nacionalista Party,” Recto said. “Since the NPC has no bets for president and vice president, it could be possible that they will be the first to join with Sen. Poe and Sen. Chiz Escudero,” he added.

He said if Poe and Escudero will go their own way as independent candidates, the break in the coalition administration is inevitable.