‘Danding’s body language says he will run’

TARLAC CITY — Businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco will officially declare his bid for the presidency by the middle of August this year, a ranking official of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) said yesterday.

Gov. Jose Yap Sr., NPC chairman for Tarlac, said that if Cojuangco was not interested in running for president in next year’s elections, he could have easily said so before organizations were established in support of his candidacy.

Central Luzon businessmen, led by lawyer Blesilo Buan, have already established the Danding for President Movement. Buan owns the Tarlac First Provincial Bank.

Several groups from Northern Luzon have also put up another movement, called Danding 4 Unity (D4U).

Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco (fifth district) earlier said that his father may reveal his decision on a possible presidential bid in July or August.

Yap was with Cojuangco when the latter celebrated his 68th birthday in the United States in early June.

While Cojuangco was in the US, he was able to weigh "the historic decision he has to take," Yap said, adding that there is "swelling support" for Cojuangco to take another shot at the presidency.

Cojuangco ran but lost in the 1992 presidential race under the banner of the NPC, which he founded.

Cojuangco underwent a medical checkup while he was in the US, and his American doctors said he is physically fit.

The businessman’s low rating in popularity surveys, Yap said, "is because Danding has not yet made any official pronouncement."

Survey trends, he added, are likely to "drastically change" once Cojuangco actually declares his intention to join the presidential derby.

Yap refused to elaborate on what political direction Cojuangco may take should President Arroyo decide to make a bid for the presidency, except to emphasize that the NPC is still bound to respect its alliance with the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD).

Mrs. Arroyo said last Dec. 30 that she would no longer seek a full six-year term as president, but Yap said her current body language has led some analysts and politicians to speculate that she may change her mind.

Certain Lakas-CMD officials and members earlier signed a petition urging Mrs. Arroyo to become Lakas-CMD’s standard-bearer for next year’s polls. The petition was submitted to the Lakas national directorate.

Mrs. Arroyo’s final choice could affect Cojuangco’s decision to run. NPC insiders said the businessman and his partymates would rather have him as a "common" presidential candidate of a "broad alliance" of political parties, which would include the Lakas-CMD.

Various groups in Tarlac province — market vendors, farmers, and transport sector organizations in particular — have issued manifestoes of support for Cojuangco’s candidacy.

In response to what Yap described as the growing clamor for Cojuangco to run, the local NPC leadership and provincial and local officials crossed party lines when they issued respective resolutions expressing their gratitude to Cojuangco’s supporters.

Cojuangco is a native of Tarlac and served as its governor prior to being appointed as ambassador to the US in the 1970s.

Senators, however, earlier aired differing opinions on Cojuangco’s possible presidential bid.

Sen. Robert Barbers said Cojuangco will not run and simply support Mrs. Arroyo if she decides to make a bid for the presidency.

He noted that Mrs. Arroyo has a "50-50 chance" of running in the 2004 presidential race.

Should Cojuangco and Mrs. Arroyo both decide to run, this will cause a division in the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Juan Flavier.

He said that 53 of the Lakas members in the House of Representatives have signed up to endorse Cojuangco, while 85 Lakas congressmen support Mrs. Arroyo

Flavier said the pulse of the Lakas officials and members could not be determined yet.