DAVAO CITY — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. warned that the opposition might break up if their leaders refused to unite and come up with a common candidate for the 2010 presidential elections.
“There should be serious efforts for unification otherwise things would lead to a breakup of the opposition,” said Pimentel, who arrived here over the weekend to address a forum on federalism at the Ateneo de Davao University.
The opposition’s failure to come up with one candidate for president in 2004 paved the way for President Arroyo to have the edge against her rival the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.
Pimentel admitted that the opposition is faced with a difficult problem on who would be their standard-bearer in 2010.
“We are faced with a difficult situation here. We have to get them to unite forces to come up with one candidate,” Pimentel told The STAR.
Among those in the opposition who hinted their intention to run for president in 2010 are Senate President Manuel Villar, Senators Manuel Roxas, Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson and Francis Escudero and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.