Palace: Up to UNA to define ‘new opposition’

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said that the challenge to the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) this coming elections is explaining to voters why they are the “new” and “constructive” opposition amid criticism from the Liberal Party (LP) that it was confusing the public and riding on the popularity of President Aquino.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte before the weekend said warning of a “yellow” and puppet Senate to discourage voting for the senatorial candidates of the administration would not work since the decision would be up to the voters.

“If the voters want to vote for particular candidates because they support the reform agenda of the people, that is not for attorney (JV) Bautista (of UNA) to dictate,” Valte said Friday.

She said the voters would have to choose between those being endorsed by President Aquino as his team and those belonging to the supposed “new” opposition.

“Maybe we should be not the ones who should be asked if it’s okay with us (for UNA bets to say they support the President but criticize the government). It’s up to them how they would perceive the so-called new opposition,” Valte said.

Leaders of the ruling party have urged Vice President Jejomar Binay and his UNA to declare themselves as the political opposition that is opposed to the Aquino administration so that the battle lines in the coming elections would be clear to voters.

There’s nothing wrong with that since a principled opposition is needed in a democracy, LP leaders said.

Even President Aquino, in the first television advertisement of his senatorial candidates, warned his supporters against candidates “pretending” to support his daang matuwid (straight path) advocacy.

Despite such appeals, Binay said he and UNA would continue to support the administration.

UNA senatorial candidate and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay has said she wanted the administration “to be the best that it can be” after being an ardent critic.

Asked if she believes in Magsaysay’s sincerity, Valte said “perhaps we can look at, again, two and a half years’ worth of press statements from Rep. Magsaysay and you let the voters decide if she really wants the President to succeed.”

She said the administration would not mind a sweeping victory in the coming polls.

“The people will vote for whoever they want to vote for. Nobody can dictate on the voters, whether they want it to be purely red or yellow or white or black. It really is up to the voters,” Valte said. 

Partisan politics

As this developed, Sen. Gregorio Honasan took a swipe at the administration coalition for engaging in too much partisan politics even before the official campaign period for this May’s election has started.

In several statements made in his Twitter account, Honasan, who is running for reelection under the UNA, alluded to the administration’s coalition Team Pinoy’s current campaign.

He said that the “real, common, permanent enemies” in the country are joblessness, hunger, homelessness, ignorance, sickness, injustice and too much partisan politics.

Honasan’s statement came several days after Team Pinoy campaign manager Sen. Franklin Drilon called UNA an opposition party whose objective is to make President Aquino a lame duck president.

Drilon echoed the message made by the President in the Team Pinoy advertisement where he warned the people to be wary of those who pretend to be with him but are really not.

The Team Pinoy ad, featuring all 12 candidates of the administration, has the President’s voiceover calling on the people to support the team and his tuwid na daan or the straight path policy.

In his statement, Honasan said that the leader must “lead the people and not just your friends or the people you like or your own party.”

“Team Pinoy is all Filipinos and the entire Filipino nation, not just a temporary political coalition geared for any coming elections,” he said.

He expressed hope that the country would eventually go back to a two-party system where the elections are based on issues and the people would choose their leaders based on track record.

Same dog, different collar

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said there is not much difference between the senatorial tickets of LP’s three-party coalition and UNA.

“Truth is they are the same dog with different collars. They are all supportive of the President’s programs on privatization, trade and investment liberalization and deregulation. It seems we can’t expect a debate on policy between the two teams, just a debate on personalities,” he said.

He said LP and UNA are “deceiving the public by making it appear that there are substantial differences between their platforms.” – With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy