Lakas-NPC coalition a done deal

by Joyce Pangco Pañares


A coalition between the ruling party Lakas-Kampi-CMD and the Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition, which is touted to deliver the swing vote during the 2010 polls, is already assured, according to Presidential Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio.

Claudio, Lakas-Kampi secretary general, said final negotiations between the two parties will focus on how to go about the partnership.

“I am confident that the administration will have a coalition with the NPC. It is just a matter of deciding whether it will be at the national or local level,” he said in a phone interview.

Claudio, who earlier said that getting NPC Senator Loren Legarda will be a “natural consequence” of the coalition, expressed optimism that the latter will still agree to be the running mate of outgoing Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, nephew of NPC chairman businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.

“Even if the coalition is only at the local level, I am sure Senator Legarda will either make a decision on her own based on her own principles and advocacies or wait for guidelines from the NPC party,” he said.

Claudio said if a vice-presidential bet is already chosen in the next two days, the ruling party can already make an announcement on Teodoro’s running mate during its executive committee meeting at the Palace on Nov. 11.

“But the main agenda of the execom meeting is the turnover of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD chairmanship from President Gloria Arroyo to Secretary Teodoro and the crafting of party guidelines for nomination, especially at the local level.”

Claudio said an invitation has been sent to former President Fidel Ramos, who used to be chairman emeritus of the original Lakas-CMD party, but the latter has yet to confirm his attendance.

As this developed, Claudio shrugged off reports that the series of defections from the country’s largest political party was a reflection of discontent among its members.

The defectors were actually doing the party a favor by avoiding ugly arbitration battles at the local level.

“Reports of a so-called exodus of Lakas-Kampi members are either erroneous or grossly out of perspective. There have been defections among local officials and there may even be more but these are natural and expected consequences of party intramurals and fallouts from the party’s selection process for local candidates,” he said.

“Those not chosen or will imminently not be chosen will naturally seek shelter with other political parties or other presidential bets. In areas with defections, it is the loyal and usually stronger protagonists who stay with the administration party and we are spared the agony of having to arbitrate local conflicts,” Claudio added.

The Palace official described the defections as “arbitration by attrition” and “shedding off excess weight” as the 2010 polls draw near.

“These defections are actually doing us a favor,”Claudio said. “The positive result of these defections is that the administration party will have a single, solid and formidable lineup of candidates at the local level who will not be distracted by internal conflicts and therefore better able to concentrate on helping the administration’s national candidates win in their respective areas.”


Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNation.htm?f=2009/november/9/nation1.isx&d=/2009/november/9