NPC members face political dilemma

By Charlie Manalo and Gerry Baldo
11/04/2009


Six months in the run-up to the 2010 national polls, the members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) still find themselves in a political dilemma as they cannot decide on whose presidential campaign wagon with which to hitch the party’s future.

Such dilemma was, by and large, caused by the resignation of NPC’s erstwhile presumptive standard-bearer, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Some NPC senior party members have expressed their preference to adopt Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party as guest presidential candidate. But lately, more NPC members are coming out in the open to express their support to Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, the putative standard-bearer of pro-administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition.

At least one key NPC leader, Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza, was candid enough to say that “as of now, the NPC will still support Chiz if he pursues his presidential bid.” Shortly after Escudero resigned from the NPC, his camp scrambled to its feet to seek an alliance with various groups that would serve as his own political vehicle to presidency. The Magdalo group of mutinous soldiers has thrown its support behind Escudero’s presidential bid and urged reform-minded organizations to back him.

But for Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, the pro-administration faction within the NPC still remains loyal to Teodoro, who was the NPC’s erstwhile party secretary general before he joined the Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition.

“You assumed correctly (that Villar is heavily favored by NPC congressmen) although there are some NPC solons who remain loyal to Gibo,” said Aggabao, who dropped broad hints that Villar might likely be the NPC’s guest presidential candidate.

Aggabao said the support of the majority of NPC congressmen to Villar’s presidential bid would be a big boost to his reported plan to tandem with NPC’s vice presidential hopeful, Sen. Loren Legarda.

But Aggabao was quick to say that nothing was final yet regarding the possible Villar-Legarda tandem since they had not yet filed their certificates of candidacy.

Aside from possible team-up with Vilar’s Nacionalist Party, the NPC is also exploring the possibility of coalescing with Lakas-Kampi CMD. These two possibilities cropped up shortly after Escudero resigned from NPC.

For his part, Palawan Rep. Abraham Kahlil Mitra, also of NPC, expressed belief that despite the surprising changes in the party brought about by Escudero’s resignation, the party would remain in its natural element – a political organization with its own mind and decisions.

“I think that the NPC has stood alone solid for sometime already and I presume it will continue to do so,” Mitra said.

On the other hand, Plaza’s announcement that he would stick with Escudero should the latter pursue his presidential bid clearly reflected the fluidity in organizational dynamic within NPC.

The NPC, he said, was still in the process of consensus building in order to know which direction it would take following Escudero’s resignation. Hence, the NPC members expect a lot of changes in the party’s original plan to field its own presidential candidate.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, who bolted the Lakas Kampi CMD to join the NPC, said the NPC could deliver 20 to 30 percent of possible votes for a winning presidential candidate.“By our sheer strength we can provide the swing vote to victory to whoever we will support. We can provide 20 to 30 percent of the votes for president,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte, who counts himself as one of the “new adherents” at the NPC, said they were eyeing a coalition with other political parties. “We can have a coalition or alliance with other parties,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte also stressed that there are NPC members who have already committed their support for Escudero no matter what the party stand would be. Villafuerte, like Escudero, hails from the Bicol region.

Meanwhile, detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes yesterday issued a statement urging reform-minded organizations to support Escudero’s presidential bid. “We cannot allow the Filipino public to be swayed by an avalanche of creative TV commercials, because it only proves you have money. Or be blinded by an outpour of support from personalities in show business, because that only proves how personality-based our political system is. Our next president should have the people in mind, and that is Senator Escudero.”

As this developed, Sen. Edgardo Angara urged his colleagues in Congress to approve a measure seeking to bar politicians who defect to another political party while still in office, from holding any position until after their current term expires. “A strong political party system is imperative for genuine political development and democratization rather than simply feeding politicized motives. We have to enact laws to prevent the system of ward politics and political chameleons that we have today,” Angara said.

A legal legal mechanism allowing better governance of political parties and their activities, members and funding is key to “true leadership selection and political maturity,” Angara added.

Under Angara’s Political Party Development bill, party members who seek to change party affiliation after being elected under that party’s ticket should first resign from his elective position and seek a fresh mandate from the electorate.

Also under Angara’s bill, defecting persons cannot be appointed nor hold any position in any public office until after their current elected office expires.

Political parties are known in the Philippines to be used only as vehicles to win elections. Most political aspirants change parties for convenience rather than conviction manifesting the lack of ideological commitment to their parties.

Angara is concerned that candidates’ “abrupt secession from their parties may pose detrimental effects on the party itself and its goals for and after the elections, spurring division and deflecting a solid vote turnout rather than forming a unified coalition.”

The bill also seeks to create a party development fund to subsidize national political parties for their operational expenses and party building activities; not only for electoral campaign but also for their developmental programs.

With a report from Angie Rosales


Source: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20091104hed2.html