Opposition ready for reconciliation — Ed

The opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino- Puwersa ng Masa (LDP-PnM) said yesterday it was willing to sit down with the ruling People Power Coalition (PPC) for discussions aimed at "genuine reconciliation and national reconstruction."

LDP president and senatorial candidate Edgardo Angara said the dialogue can take place right after the May 14 elections so that the Congress that will convene in July can work and thrive under a proper environment for productive legislation.

"Let us start the healing process now via a bipartisan resolve to pursue a common reconstructive agenda," Angara said in a statement.

The former executive secretary said the LDP-PnM and the PPC should define the broad terms of the bipartisan legislative agenda.

At the same time, he laid down several conditions "to truly put in place the spirit of national reconciliation."

Angara said the ruling coalition – if it were really sincere in pursuing a healing process – should use its clout and moral suasion to stop the "harassment" of the political opposition and se-veral leading senatorial candidates of the LDP-PnM.

"All cases against our candidates, which in the first place were the product of a fictional state of rebellion, should be dropped to level the playing field," he said. "The gutter-level campaign which the PPC has adopted as its staple fare for the campaign should also cease."

Charges of rebellion have been readied against senatorial bets Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Similar charges were filed earlier against Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and former Ambassador to Washington Ernesto Maceda who had been arrested without warrants following President Arroyo’s declaration of a state of rebellion in Metro Manila on May 1.

The opposition also assailed the PPC for placing advertisements in newspapers and on radio and television linking them to the May 1 riots at the gates of Malacañang.

Angara said the PPC should realize that the obsession for the complete "obliteration" of the opposition will not be good for democracy.

"There should always be voices of dissent, critical voices, voices raging against the dying of the light. Without these voices, there will be no true democracy," he said.

Angara pointed out that the political opposition has remained a sober and constructive force He said they have a seven-point development agenda and are currently preparing its legislative agenda for the first 100 days of Congress.

"All the senatorial candidates are now preparing priority legislation, which the winners in the May 14 election will collectively support," he said.

LDP protests celebrity connection

The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) asked the Commission on Elections yesterday to declare as stray or invalid votes cast for senator that bear the names "Mr. Sharon Cuneta, Kiko Cuneta, Sharon Pangilinan, Mr. Vilma Santos, Vilma Recto or Ralph Santos."

The petition for declaratory relief, filed by lawyer Aleta Tolentino for the LDP, said senatorial candidates Francisco Pangilinan and Ralph Recto have been using their celebrity connection "with the most unusual zeal."

Pangilinan and Recto are married to movie celebrities Sharon Cuneta and Vilma Santos, respectively. The LDP said the election canvassers should not count votes for Sharon or Vilma as votes for Pangilinan and Recto.

"Petitioner fears that not only the voters but the election canvassers as well will be confused in tallying the ballots. In the interest of clarity, fairness and justice, the rules for treating his name must be laid out to the board of election canvassers and the election canvassers," the LDP petition said.

The LDP argued that its senatorial candidates would be prejudiced if stray votes for television and television personalities who are not candidates are counted together with valid votes.

It cited Resolution No. 3253-A of the Commission on Elections issued on Nov. 20, 2000 stating that "the person filing the certificate of candidacy may include one nickname or stage name by which he is generally or popularly known in the locality; provided that no candidates shall use the nickname, stage name or initials of another."

"Thus, it is clear that a candidate can never use a name of another person, even the name of a person intimately related to him," the LDP added.

The opposition party asked the Comelec to instruct all election canvassers to declare as stray or invalid the votes cast for movie personalities who are not candidates for senator. – Efren Danao