Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:45:00 10/18/2009
Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Elections
MANILA, Philippines--The League of provinces of the Philippines (LPP) on Saturday started the process of canvassing support from the country’s 80 provincial governors for a planned coalition between the ruling party Lakas-Kampi-CMD, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in the 2010 national elections.The move to revive the coalition of local allies that secured the victory of the administration party in the 2004 presidential race came a day after the LPP endorsed a possible team-up between Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and Sen. Loren Legarda for 2010.
Last Friday, the LPP, which is also known as the Governors’ League, conducted a straw vote in which Teodoro and Legarda emerged as the overwhelming choice of 21 governors who attended its executive committee meeting in Pasig.
Spearheading the coalition talks are Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez (NPC), Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo (LDP), Ilocos Sur Gov. Deogracias Victor Savellano (Lakas-Kampi) and Miguel Dominguez of Sarangani (Lakas-Kampi).
The ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD is the party headed by President Macapagal-Arroyo. Sen. Edgardo Angara leads the relatively smaller LDP, while the NPC was founded by business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
Contacted by phone, Zaldivar, Castillo, Savellano and Dominguez said the coalition would be crucial in ensuring the victory of all administration candidates in the national and local levels in 2010.
“We will start with these three parties. We’re pushing for it because the [straw vote] indicates that a Teodoro-Legarda tandem is a strong teamup,” said Savellano.
He said Legarda, although an NPC member, was “acceptable to everyone,” referring to the governors allied with the administration.
Teodoro, who left the NPC and joined Lakas-Kampi, is the presumptive presidential standard-bearer of the ruling party in 2010. His selection still has to be formalized by a party convention.
Teodoro’s camp, reportedly with the Palace’s blessings, has been assiduously courting Legarda to become his running mate.
Legarda has been noncommittal while recognizing that the executive board of the league was composed of the country’s “most influential governors”.
“I am heartened and inspired, but remain firmly with the opposition,” said Legarda, who ran unsuccessfully for vice president with the opposition standard bearer, the late movie star Fernando Poe Jr., in 2004.
Legarda earlier said she was being courted not only by Teodoro, but by her partymate Sen. Francis Escudero, who is expected to be the NPC standard bearer, and Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party.
Perfect fit
According to Dominguez, since the coalition has been in existence since 2004, “it will be a perfect fit if Loren came out and joined us for a merger of the parties for the elections. “
Administration party officials said a Teodoro-Legarda teamup would make a “potent combination.”
“That’s a very good combination. Gibo from Luzon, and Loren representing the Visayas,” said Prospero Pichay, Lakas-Kampi-CMD vice president for membership.
The Teodoro-Legarda team-up would bring together their supporters from governors down to councilors to form a “stronger political organization,” the former lawmaker said.
“I am sure that is going to be an exciting tandem if it pushes through,” said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.
Perez said several governors were now making calls to come up with a manifesto endorsing the coalition of the three parties as well as the Teodoro-Legarda ticket.
She said the NPC leadership favored the coalition though she has talked only with party members like Governors Aurora Cerilles (Zamboanga del Sur) and Josephine Sato (Occidental Mindoro) who are amenable to it.
“I haven’t talked with those against it, especially those who want a Chiz-Loren tandem,” she said.
Perez said she was aware that this could split the NPC into two factions, but said “it’s nothing new.”
She recalled that in the 2004 and 2007 polls, the NPC members were allowed to coalesce with either the administration or the opposition parties.
“Half of NPC went to the administration camp in 2004, so I hope that they will allow us to go our way like before [if the coalition idea does not take],” she said.
“But we hope we will have a full party coalition because that will strengthen the coalition,” she said, noting that the NPC founder was the uncle of Teodoro.
LDP perspective
As for the LDP, she said Angara-Castillo, a sister of the senator, “did not offer that without clearance from her brother.”
Interviewed by dwIZ radio, Senator Angara said the LDP had not yet decided on the matter.
“We will have an executive committee meeting this month to decide which party to join or form an alliance, or the candidates to support,” he said.
Told that Angara-Castillo had endorsed the coalition with the ruling party, the senator said:
“My sister is really independent-minded. She has her own personality. I think, she’s better than me. She has a different perspective of things.”
The senator said that the judgment of his sister, as a member of a large group of governors, “is dictated by the perspective of a local executive.” He said he had never been a mayor, governor or congressman.
Asked about a possible Teodoro-Legarda ticket, Angara said he had yet to hear Teodoro’s platform and program of government.
VP slot still open
While it has not been formally discussed by the ruling party, a Teodoro-Legarda teamup would be “very much welcome and acceptable,” said Lakas-Kampi-CMD secretary-general Gabriel Claudio.
“With their respective expertise and advocacies, Gibo and Loren will complement each other very well and as a team can address issues of the most urgent relevance to Filipinos,” he said in a text message.
“Like Gibo, Senator Loren is well-liked among Lakas Kampi members,” Claudio said.
The team-up would pose no problem to the coalition because the slot for the vice presidential candidate is still open, Pichay said.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno is known to be seeking the party’s vice-presidential nomination.
The ball is now in the hands of the NPC to decide whether to coalesce with the administration coalition, and put up Legarda as the vice-presidential candidate, Pichay said.
“If the NPC coalesces with us, then it will be OK with us,” he said.
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091018-230680/Pro-Arroyo-governors-move-to-form-grand-coalition
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