MANILA, Philippines - As expected, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) has decided to support Sen. Grace Poe for president and her running mate Sen. Francis Escudero.
NPC president and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao made the announcement yesterday in a press conference. He was accompanied by Batangas Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza and Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, the party’s secretary general and spokesman, respectively.
“We wish to announce that we formally adopt Senators Poe and Escudero as our candidates for president and vice president,” Aggabao said.
He said the NPC, the second biggest political group after the ruling Liberal Party (LP), made the decision “after many months of meetings and consultations among its members.”
He explained the NPC is supporting the Poe-Escudero ticket because “their platform is anchored on inclusivity and the candidates’ clear intention to build on gains farther than simply accept the status quo or signal a return to old practices, or hastily and radically subject the nation to a new and unpredictable cycle devoid of continuity.
“The party feels that in these past decades of division and partisanship, these candidates represent the best hope for a unified push for sustainable development,” he added.
Poe, who was campaigning in Tuguegarao yesterday, said that she did not expect the announcement but was grateful for NPC’s decision to endorse her and Escudero.
“This will help us a lot because the NPC has a strong presence in various parts of the country,” she said.
NPC officers and members had met with Poe and Escudero two or three times, and with LP standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte at least once each.
Aggabao said 90 percent of NPC members support the decision to adopt Poe and Escudero. Party officers would talk to the remaining 10 percent to go along with their party’s decision.
Sen. Vicente Sotto III and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said that the NPC’s decision to support Poe and Escudero would further boost their chances of winning.
Gatchalian also expressed confidence that Poe and Escudero would also be supported by incumbent NPC governors and mayors by delivering command votes in their respective areas.
Former Pangasinan congressman Mark Cojuangco, son of NPC founder and chairman-emeritus Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., is rooting for Binay. He is running for governor of his province.
Enverga said the NPC founder was not part of the decision-making process to support Poe and Escudero.
Poe and Escudero are running as independents. Escudero was a member of NPC until 2009 when he quit. He later gave up his quest for the presidency.
Aggabao, Mendoza and Enverga held the press conference wearing their NPC uniform, signifying the importance of the announcement they were about to make.
Aggabao said most party members were for announcing their support for Poe ahead of the Supreme Court (SC) decision on the two disqualification cases against her.
The Commission on Elections earlier disqualified Poe after finding her to be not a natural-born Filipino and short of the 10-year residency requirement.
“Based on what we have read and what we’ve heard, we are confident that Senator Grace would hurdle these cases,” Aggabao said. In case the SC rules in her favor, “her ratings will go through the roof and the race will be finished.”
“But let me make it very clear that when we made this endorsement, we did not have in mind preempting the decision of the SC in one way or another. When we made this endorsement, we believe this is the best time, this is the most appropriate time,” he added.
There are rumors that the high court would let Poe pursue her candidacy by a vote of 9-6 or 8-6.
There are also speculations that the tribunal would make a “win-win” decision, under which she would be declared as a natural-born citizen but would be disqualified for being short of the required 10-year residency.
Under this decision, she would be qualified to pursue her presidential dream in 2022.
The SC will reportedly tackle the issues of natural-born citizenship and residency separately and would have separate votes on them. – With Christina Mendez, Marvin Sy, Paolo Romero