Lacson, FPJ set 1-on-1 meeting

Presidential aspirants Sen. Panfilo Lacson and movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. will have a one-on-one meeting to settle who between them will be the opposition standard-bearer in next year’s elections.

If they fail to arrive at an agreement, a five-man committee led by former senator Juan Ponce Enrile will search for a formula that could lead to the fielding of only one candidate of the united opposition.

These were the two major points that representatives of various opposition groups agreed on Wednesday night, hours after Poe declared his availability to be the opposition standard-bearer and Lacson announced that he is determined to seek the presidency.

Poe’s and Lacson’s separate announcements threatened to divide the opposition and spell certain defeat in the May 2004 presidential elections.

Reacting to his colleague’s proposal for a one-on-one meeting with Poe, Lacson told The STAR yesterday that he was willing to confer with the movie actor and talk things over.

"Their recommendation was that we meet on Monday. I told them to give FPJ at least one week to get enough feedback from all sectors on his announcement and assess the odds we will face in the elections. After that, we can talk," he said.

Lacson echoed the sentiments of most opposition leaders that they should have only one presidential candidate.

He reiterated that he was willing to submit to a selection process that is fair and transparent, and that would reflect the decision of the majority of his colleagues.

Lacson was represented in Wednesday night’s meeting by his campaign manager, San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, and his spokesman, Lito Banayo. Poe’s representative was Sen. Vicente Sotto III.

Besides Enrile, Zamora and Banayo, those who attended the meeting were former senator Francisco Tatad, former Agrarian Reform secretary Horacio Morales, and Reps. Agapito Aquino of Makati, Rolex Suplico of Iloilo and Didagen Dilangalen of Maguindanao.

Aquino, secretary general of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), the largest opposition party, said he hoped that Lacson and Poe can agree who between them would be the standard bearer.

"We cannot afford to have two candidates because chances are we will lose the elections," he said.

But if the two presidential aspirants cannot agree between themselves, they should abide by the selection formula or process that the Enrile panel would come up with, he added.

Aquino, who is supporting Lacson’s presidential bid, said some factors to be considered in the selection formula would be the candidate’s capability to win, including his popularity, and his experience.

"There is no doubt that FPJ is popular, but in terms of experience, Ping has the edge, The PNP was a good force under him. Nawawala ang kotong at pati mga bundat na pulis," he said, noting that mulcting, overweight cops disappeared under Lacson’s term as police chief.

Lacson was Philippine National Police chief for 14 months during the short-lived Estrada administration.