Villar alliance with leftists in final stages

Written by Aries Rufo
Tuesday, 10 November 2009


Negotiations for a potential alliance between the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Senator Manuel Villar and the extreme left are in the final stages, two weeks before the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy for the May 2010 polls.

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak that Villar submitted a “counter-proposal” on Monday for a possible tactical partnership in the elections next year.

Villar is the standard-bearer of the NP while Ocampo is a senatorial bet of the militant political alliance, Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan or Makabayan.

This will be the first time that the extreme legal left will be supporting a presidential candidate in an effort “to be a significant player in national politics,” said Teodoro Casiño, also a Bayan Muna party-list representative.

“This is a big leap for us (to support a presidential candidate),” Casiño said.

Aside from NP, Makabayan has been holding talks with the Liberal Party and Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), but Ocampo said the talks with Villar’s camp “have seen some progress.”

He said “certain developments in the political scene,” on which traditional party the militant group will likely link up with, have crystallized.
Abandoning Escudero

Earlier, Makabayan, which is seeking to field three senatorial candidates, was reported to have thrown its support for the NPC’s presumptive standard-bearer Senator Francis Escudero.

But Escudero’s surprise move to leave the NPC and possibly contest the presidency without a political party has made Makabayan reassess its strategy.

Ocampo said Makabayan and Escudero “agree on many things, at least on the basic platforms and policies,” but the senator’s decision to eschew party politics has prompted Makabayan to reconsider its options.

Another problem is the fact that Escudero has not yet made up his mind on whether he would contest the presidency. Ocampo said a presidential candidate “should have a party.”

As for a partnership with the LP, Ocampo said talks were ongoing before Senator Mar Roxas decided to slide down to the vice presidency in favor of Senator Benigno Aquino III as the party’s presidential bet. “We were negotiating with Roxas,” Ocampo said.

But an LP insider told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak that Aquino’s camp was not keen on including the leftist group in the LP’s senatorial slate. One particular reason was the Hacienda Luisita issue, which Bayan Muna leaders and its allied leftist groups have constantly taken the Aquino family to task for failing to include it in the agrarian reform program.

Aside from Ocampo, Makabayan’s bets are Casiño and Gabriela party-list Rep. Liza Maza.

Ocampo said Makabayan submitted a “proposal of platform” to Villar, and that the presidential aspirant gave his response Monday.

He said Makabayan and Villar agree on some basic policies like agriculture development, agrarian reform, pro-labor policies, and a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Diverse group

Villar has been trying to put up a diverse list of senatorial candidates with initial reports saying the NP’s line-up includes detained Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, and former Makati Rep. Agapito 'Butz' Aquino.

Ocampo said the diverse and possibly conflicting personalities in the senatorial line-up should not matter as long as “we agree on good governance and reform.”

Asked how the militant group would be able to reconcile its pro-poor image with a capitalist like Villar, Ocampo said the former Senate president is not known to have engaged in exploitative labor practices.

Casiño, in a separate interview, said any alliance between Makabayan and a traditional political party should be anchored on a ”principled platform.”

He said Makabayan’s decision would be finalized next week.

Ocampo said Makabayan is also negotiating that two of its senatorial bet be included in the senatorial line-up of the political party it chooses to forge an alliance with. (abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak)


Source: http://newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7069&Itemid=88889051