P-Noy to have final say on LP senatorial slate in 2013

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino would have the final say on who will comprise the common senatorial ticket in the May 2013 elections of the planned coalition between the ruling Liberal Party (LP), the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the Nacionalista Party (NP), an official said yesterday.

According to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, the makeup of the senatorial slate is “subject to negotiation” among the leaders of the three parties.

“But P-Noy, as titular head of the coalition, will have a big say,” he said.

Abad said the NP is assured of three slots while the fourth slot is still subject to negotiation.

Earlier, Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, a member of the NP executive committee who brokered the meeting between Aquino and Villar, said that NP wants four slots in the coalition ticket.

The four slots will be filled by Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV; the NP president’s wife, former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar; and either NP spokesman, former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers or Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño.

Meanwhile, unlike the NP, the NPC has not yet given a specific number of slots in the planned coalition ticket.

However, there are speculations that three slots would be given to the NPC.

Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda, who will both run for re-election, are assured of making it to the administration slate.

The third NPC slot could go to NPC member Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile.

However, Vice President Jejomar Binay had already earlier announced that the younger Enrile would be one of the senatorial candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

Enrile’s father Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is one of the leaders of UNA.

LP has shallow senatorial bench

Abad also acknowledged yesterday that part of the reason why LP decided to force a coalition with NP and NPC is because they have a shallow bench.

“We concede that we cannot fill up a full slate. At the end of the process of vetting candidates, we may have four or five legitimate LP members in the slate,” he said.

“Given that reality, of course, it’s natural for any political party to try to put together a coalition of other political parties and individuals with like minds to be able to pursue its program of government,” Abad justified.

Last week, LP, NP and NPC agreed to form a coalition for purposes of the May 2013 senatorial elections.

This also prompted Aquino and Villar to patch up their political differences. “No, it’s just not just a question of forgetting. There are appropriate venues for whatever grievances that the public wants to address. (However) both the President and Senator Villar said that those are past and therefore we need to look at this partnership and move forward,” Abad.

Next week, the LP stalwart said that they will resume talks with NPC founded by billionaire Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., maternal uncle of President Aquino.

Abad maintained that any political partnership has to be “firmly based on the administration’s priorities. And he has always emphasized that in his discussions with political leaders of the different parties.

“We have to continue with the priorities insofar as good governance, poverty reduction, and economic expansion are concerned,” he stressed.

The government views the NP and NPC as good allies in Congress to push the legislative agenda of Aquino, along with the reform agenda that the administration wants implemented.

“What is important is you get your measures passed, your budget passed. At the end of the day, it’s really also about getting the numbers together to pass those measures... without necessarily compromising on the reform agenda,” he said.

“The President wants to be able to harness as much of the majority of the legislators and senators to be able to pass the legislative agenda. That’s why it’s important as much as they have right now three or four senators in the Senate,” Abad added.

Warm welcome

With Trillanes’ swearing in as the latest member of the NP, the group has now become the biggest political bloc in the Senate.

With Trillanes, the so-called NP-Villar bloc at the Senate now has five members, including Senators Pia and Alan Cayetano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Villar.

The NP’s perceived allies include Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Joker Arroyo, and Legarda, who was Villar’s running-mate in the 2010 elections.

The administration Liberal Party has four members, namely Senators Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Teofisto Guingona III, and Ralph Recto.

Also on the administration’s side are Senators Sergio Osmeña III and Escudero.

Political dynasties defended

Political dynasties are not bad per se and people have the choice of electing their representatives, former Rep. Villar said yesterday.

“There’s nothing wrong with political dynasties for as long as they do good,” she said in a television interview.

Villar wants to succeed her husband, who is now on his second and last term as senator.

When asked about Congress possibly enacting a law against political dynasties, she answered, “We will follow it; if not, we will continue.”

Mrs. Villar maintains that the planned coalition is only a partnership agreement for the midterm elections.

“This is a partnership, not a merger. As of now, it’s only for the 2013 elections. It’s not permanent, depending on the situation,” she said.

Villar added her husband has decided to forget whatever political differences he had with President Aquino “for the party and the country.” Villar lost the 2010 presidential elections to Aquino.

She also noted that there would be no issue with their declared statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and that they don’t have a dollar account.

“It is Manny who prepares and files our SALN. What we declare there are our personal assets, including stocks in our company that we own,” Mrs. Villar said.

“Some people were asking why we did not include the Laurel house in Mandaluyong as part of our assets in our SALN. That’s because the house is a property of our company. Our assets are separate from those of our company,” she explained. – With Christina Mendez, Delon Porcalla