Joker our next recruit, Lakas officials say

Maverick administration Rep. Joker Arroyo "will be our next recruit," a Lakas official said yesterday.

Former Batangas Rep. Hernando Perez, Lakas spokesman, said opposition leaders have been talking to Arroyo, "who I think is disposed to join us."

Isabela Rep. Heherson Alvarez, who is Lakas secretary general, confirmed he and other party leaders have been wooing the Makati congressman to formally join the opposition.

"He will be a prize catch like boy Herrera if he agrees to be with us," he said.

Last Sunday, Rep. Ernesto Herrera of Bohol took his oath as the newest member of the dominant opposition party, along with Rizal Vice Gov. Benjamin Felix, who also belonged to the administration party.

Herrera earlier quit the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino because he said he could not remain with a political party that "is nominally in alliance with a President who has a strong anti-labor bias."

President Estrada has denied that he is biased against labor.

The Bohol congressman, a former senator, and Arroyo are maverick lawmakers who were elected to office under Mr. Estrada's Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP).

They have been critical of administration policies which they perceive are wrong and pro-cronies.

But unlike Herrera, who has always been with the majority in the House since Congress convened in July 1998, Arroyo is a member of the opposition in the chamber.

"Joker will be formalizing his marriage with us if he decides to join Lakas," said Alvarez.

The Makati congressman could not be reached for comment as he is still in Nigeria.

Alvarez said Arroyo, like Herrera, will have a slot in the Lakas senatorial ticket in the May 2001 elections if he joins the opposition.

He said another congressman and member of the House minority, Michael Defensor of Quezon City, will likewise formalize his "marriage" with the opposition soon.

Defensor belongs to the Liberal Party, which has an informal coalition with Mr. Estrada's LAMP.

The LP counts among its members Trade Secretary Mar Roxas and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim.

Alvarez said another LP member who is being wooed to join the opposition is Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada.