Kampi predicts overwhelming victory in May elections

The ongoing changes in political affiliations by candidates ahead of the midterm elections will increase the chances of the administration overwhelmingly winning in the May polls, a party from the ruling coalition said.

The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) claimed the mass exodus of opposition leaders going over to the party will only mean they would emerge as the most dominant political party in the elections.

"We will overwhelm the opposition," Kampi president and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte said.

At the same time, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., of the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas) said 12 governors have joined last Wednesday in what he described as the single biggest political haul ahead of the campaign for the May 14 elections.

Malacañang also raised the possibility of including former senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Tessie Aquino Oreta in the administration’s senatorial ticket.

According to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, the swearing in of Sotto and Oreta to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) "could be a sign that they might (want to) join" the administration.

He admitted it is "highly probable" that the two opposition stalwarts might eventually be included in the administration ticket since they formally joined the NPC, a member of the ruling coalition with Lakas.

In the 1998 elections, President Arroyo, who was then a senator, founded Kampi to launch her presidential bid with Sotto as her running mate.

At the last minute, however, Mrs. Arroyo decided to join De Venecia to become his running mate.

De Venecia lost to Joseph Estrada in the presidential race but Mrs. Arroyo won as Vice President.

Sotto, for his part, told The STAR that Ermita is merely speculating on the possibility of their being included in the administration senatorial ticket.

Sotto pointed out that he and Oreta "simply joined the NPC because this is the political party that shares the same ideals" they have.

"And we know that (the) NPC would help and support us in the 2007 elections," Sotto said. — With Marichu Villanueva