"The NPC, for me, is sending out mixed signals," opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel said at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulu Hotel forum in Quezon City.
According to Pimentel, it is unclear if the NPC will back the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) slate as part of the People Power Coalition (PPC) or join the ranks of the opposition.
Political observers said the NPC’s choice of alliances will determine the results of the May 2004 elections.
NPC spokesman and Sorsogon Rep. Francis Escudero said his party will make an official announcement about whether it will remain with the ruling coalition or shift to the opposition by December.
Escudero admitted that the aborted impeachment of Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. has caused "hurt feelings" among the NPC’s members, but he said this will not affect the party’s decision.
The NPC has accepted its defeat at the plenary debate on the impeachment complaint against Davide, he said, adding that "in a democracy, the majority rules."
Reps. Gilberto Teodoro and William Felix Fuentebella, both of the NPC, filed the impeachment complaint against Davide and many congressmen who endorsed the complaint were NPC members.
Escudero also said the NPC remains a force to reckon with in the coming elections, with its large support base in Congress and local government units nationwide.
The NPC counts 23 governors and 63 congressmen among its ranks, plus many more card-bearing members in cities and municipalities nationwide.
"If the party decides to support President Arroyo, then we will be with the administration but, if we support other candidate, then we will be the opposition," he said.
The NPC has been studying its option to go into alliance since September when party leaders said it formed a panel of negotiators to take action on any proposed alliance.
NPC chairman and Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy said the panel will consult with party members and come up with a position for ratification at an appropriate party convention.
The opposition Lakas ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) has also created a five-man committee, headed by Sen. Edgardo Angara, to link up with other political parties and explore the possibility of forming alliances.
This committee is expected to draft the terms of the coalition and mechanism on how to define the criteria for common opposition candidates from the national to local levels.
But the LDP, party leaders said, has not made a decision and is still in the process of linking up with other parties in these political opposition. – Marichu Villanueva