11/05/2009
Exactly 15 days before the administration party, Lakas-Kampi-CMD, finalizes its official lineup for the next batch of politiciansthat would run the country, coalition president and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita admitted that the party is not even halfway done in the process of getting its standard bearer outgoing Defense Chief Gilbert Teodoro’s running mate.
But Ermita said four names are being considered for the second top slot in the Lakas slate: Prodigal Lakas daughter Sen. Loren Legarda, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano and former Optical Media Board chairman Eduardo “Edu” Manzano.
But the Palace party appears to be banking on getting Legarda as its vice presidential candidate, despite talk that Nacionalista Party (NP) president Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar and Legarda have already inked a deal.
“She (Legarda) is among those viable candidates, given her present position, advocacies, the activities she has been
engaged and continues to engage in and we believe that they (Teodoro and Legarda) will complement each other,” Ermita said.
Ermita hinted that an alliance with NPC which Lakas is seriously trying to forge, which determines the Palace’s chances of having a a Teodoro-Legarda tandem.
“I was informed by Secretary Gabby Claudio that he is in continuous contact with the leadership of the NPC and by leadership I an talking about the president of the NPC and other officials of the NPC,” he said.
Ermita, however, admitted that it is not for them to decide on that particular matter because Legarda has her own judgment to follow in her pursuit for the second highest position in the government.
Earlier, President Arroyo’s election lawyer who also serves as her voice, Romulo Macalintal said there is no legal stumbling block that hinders Arroyo should she decide to run as vice president in the forthcoming 2010 elections.
Macalintal maintained that Arroyo, whose term as president expires next year, can run for any position in the 2010 elections “except for her incumbent position as President.”
He also said she need not resign from the presidency even after filing her certificate of candidacy with the Commission on Elections.
Ermita also clarified that Interior and Local Governments Secretary Ronnie Puno remains in full support of the administration party, Lakas-Kampi CMD, where he concurrently serves as senior vice-chairman and interim party president.
This confirmation came amid reports surfacing lately that Puno has plans of leaving the administration party following his recent withdrawal from the vice presidential race leaving the party officials crumbling to find a running mate Teodoro.
“Secretary Puno will remain in the party. We never heard anything about his plans of leaving the party,” Ermita said.
“Of course, if we lost Puno, we can say that he is out of the Cabinet. But he is still in the Cabinet, how can we say we lost him? He continues to serve at the pleasure of the president,” Ermita said.
Ermita disclosed that Puno plays a very significant role in their party and he would be a huge loss if he leaves the party.
“He is a significant political personality, we wish that Ronnie will continue to be with us because, he has a very good touch in politics and his knowledge about politics will be very, very helpful in the elections,” he said.
On the matter of Revilla’s inclusion in the list, Ermita said they also believe in his capabilities, which is why he is also being seriously eyed by Lakas.
“Revilla is a senator. He won convincingly when he ran for the Senate. He is usually exposed to the public because of his activities as an actor. So we cannot fault the party for considering Senator Revilla because he can enhance (the chances of our standard bearer). In the same manner we also cannot fault the party for thinking of Senator Legarda because these senators were elected nationally. They have their own following all over the Philippines,” he said.
He did not comment further about Durano and Manzano but stressed that they were also mentioned in the ongoing selection process by the party leadership.
Meanwhile,in the homestretch of its consultations on the party’s direction following the resignation of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), is likely to declare free zones in the coming May 2010 elections and allow its party members to individually deal with their varied political situations in their own localities.
The NPC members could also form its own alliances with other political parties on the local level depending on their own situation, NPC spokesman Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian said yesterday even as he fueled speculations that his party’s coalition with the Nacionalista Party (NP) is getting to be a big possibility.
Gatchalian said that the possible coalition partner of the NPC should also take on Legarda’s platform of good governance, environment, and women’s issues among others.
This developed as party insiders said that ranking members of the NPC do not agree to a coalition with the NP particularly those allied with Escudero. The ranking members were also said to have refused an alliance with the administration’s Lakas Kampi CMD.
NP’s Villar was recently seen in the news planting a tree. An advocacy of Legarda.
Lawyer Reginald Velasco, deputy secretary general of the Lakas Kampi CMD also joined the fray saying that his party is also open to a coalition with the NPC particularly to Legarda, who could run as vice president to the parties putative presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro.
Gatchalian admitted that NPC members could have their own alliances after the filing of their certificates of candidacy on Nov. 30, 2009.
At the weekly Ayes and Nays News Forum, the administration party representatives and the NP admitted they are both in the thick of negotiations with the NPC leadership for a possible coalition for next year’s political derby, saying a partnership would give them needed swing votes to ensure the victory for their respective parties.
“Yes, we are negotiating with NPC for possible coalition with them and adopting Senator Legarda as our vice presidential bet,” NP spokesperson Adel Tamano said, adding that announcement of the result of the negotiations between two parties can be expected in the next two weeks.
Reggie Velasco said they have the edge over NP to get the NPC nod for a partnership as the country’s most dominant political party has an existing coalition agreement with the Cojuangco-led party.
“We at Lakas- Kampi believe we are in a more favorable position to forge a coalition with NPC as we have an existing coalition agreement with NPC. We both belong to the ruling coalition,”Velasco said.
Another plus factor working for Lakas - Kampi, Velasco said, is that Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, is the former secretary general of NPC.
“Being a former secretary general of NPC, Secretary Teodoro still maintains a loyal following in the party,” said Velasco.
“The doors of the NPC are very open. We are open to the possibility of forging alliances with other presidential candidates and political parties and to the possibility of not having a presidential bet. Nonetheless, Senator Legarda wishes to extend her gratitude to all the presidential candidates who have expressed their desire to adopt her as their vice president,” said Gatchalian.
“The bottom line is nothing is definite,” he added.
However, an NP insider bared that the negotiations between the Villar-led party and the NPC is almost a done deal with only a few minor details being ironed out.
“We expect the coalition agreement between NP and NPC sealed in the next few days,” said the party source.
With Gerry Baldo and Charlie V. Manalo
Source: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20091105hed3.html
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