UNA junks 3 common bets

MANILA, Philippines - Enough is enough.

The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) said yesterday it “is no longer obligated” to include Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda and former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chair Grace Poe-Llamanzares in its list of senatorial candidates after the three failed to show up at campaign sorties of the opposition coalition.

“We tried our best to accommodate them. We know that the LP (Liberal Party), through Sen. Franklin Drilon, has warned them repeatedly about joining our election activities,” UNA secretary general and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said.

The three were considered “common candidates” of the UNA and the LP-led Team Pnoy. 

Tiangco said Escudero, Legarda and Poe-Llamanzares had promised to attend UNA campaign sorties in exchange for their being included in the coalition’s senatorial slate.

“Unfortunately, none of them have taken any concrete move or extended any meaningful gesture to assure us that they will live up to their commitments,” Tiangco said.

“On the contrary, public statements have been made by one of them ruling out participation in UNA events. It is clear that they have made up their minds. We need to move on,” Tiangco said.

He did not name names, but he was apparently referring to Poe-Llamanzares, who said earlier that her agreement to be in the UNA slate was not anchored on any condition.

“The decision to drop the three guest candidates is only fair for the nine UNA senatorial candidates who have been going through sun and rain to campaign. I remain good friends on personal level with Escudero, Legarda and Poe-Llamanzares even as I enforced the decision to drop them as UNA bets,” Tiangco said

In Iloilo City, President Aquino laughed off UNA’s move to drop the three from its senatorial slate, saying they were believers in the administration’s advocacies anyway.

“And remember, it’s a six-year term so even by the time that I step out of office, these are the people who can continue the transformation of our country. Therefore, it behooves me to really push and press and campaign as much as possible for each and every one,” Aquino said at the provincial capitol.

Team PNoy campaign manager Drilon said it was the three’s decision to skip UNA’s campaign sorties and that the ruling coalition had nothing to do with it.

“That is their decision. They are part of Team PNoy,” Drilon said. “We have not prevented anyone (from attending UNA sorties) and even President Noynoy has not prohibited anyone.”

Not surprising

Team PNoy spokesmen Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III said there was nothing surprising about the three candidates’ not showing up at UNA rallies.

“We’re surprised that it took them this long to realize this. It is nothing but a confirmation of what we’ve been saying all along – that the three candidates have always been candidates of Team PNoy and that the opposition was simply adopting them to enable it to form a complete slate,” Quimbo said.

“The lines are now even clearer with the departure of the three candidates from UNA. Team PNoy is with the President, while UNA is the opposition. We hope that we can move forward and finally set aside this nagging issue regarding the three candidates so we can focus on the more important and bigger issues that this campaign should be discussing,” he added.

Evardone said it was clear that the three candidates stood firm on their position to support the good governance agenda of the President.

“Now the lines are very clear between the reformists and the opposition,” Evardone said, adding that being with UNA has become a kiss of death. “Even independent candidate Bro. Eddie Villanueva has declared his refusal to accept their invitation.”

“It is a party in disarray, with no sense of what it represents and where it wants to go,” Tañada said of UNA.

“One minute it is anti-GMA (former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo), the next minute it becomes her defender just because they are in Pampanga,” Tañada said, adding, “Round one: Team Pnoy.”

Team PNoy senatorial candidate Aurora Rep. Edgardo said that with UNA’s decision, “we can focus on issues rather than personalities.”

“Personalities can come and go but problems and issues important to our countrymen will always be there and demand our attention,” he said.

Saddened

Legarda, who is running for re-election under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), said she is still grateful to UNA despite its decision to strike her off its senatorial slate.

“I am grateful for the opportunity extended by UNA to me. I regret their decision to drop the common candidates from the slate, but I respect it and maintain my high regard for the leadership of UNA,” Legarda said.

“More than us politicians, this campaign is about the Filipino people and their needs. I will continue to respect President Estrada, Vice President Binay, and Senate President Enrile,” she added.

Legarda explained that her political party, the NPC, has coalesced with the LP and that makes her an official candidate of the LP-NPC coalition.

“I was invited by the UNA to be a guest candidate and I am thankful. Whatever the decision is, I will respect it, and I will continue to be grateful to them,” she said.

Escudero said he remained friends with UNA stalwarts.

“After members of UNA had dished out those criticisms against me, I suppose it would not be proper for me to join them at this particular time,” Escudero said in Filipino in an interview over Bombo Radyo Iloilo.

“They should cool down first. We could still be together in the future but not at this time,” he added.

Escudero said that losing the support of a huge coalition such as UNA was a cause for concern but that there was nothing more he could do because they had already made up their mind.

“I respect their decision. After all, who are we to ask for more if that is all they are willing to give? Although a big loss, I humbly accept their decision,” he said.

“We are used to being independent candidates… (We) accept all the sincere help offered to us. We are not in any position to impose conditions or ask for anything more than what was offered,” Escudero said.

“I reiterate that one should not agree to being dictated upon regarding what to do and what cannot be done as early as the campaign period. Even more when you are already holding a position,” he said.

Poe-Llamanzares, for her part, cited attacks against her by some members of UNA as a major reason why she opted to stay away from the coalition’s campaign rallies. She maintained that it was her closeness to her late father’s friend, former President Estrada, which made her agree to be part of UNA slate.

She said despite UNA’s decision, she holds no grudge against Estrada and UNA.

Erap’s backing firm

Indeed, Poe-Llamanzares still has the former president to count on for support despite UNA’s decision.

“I cannot disobey the decision of UNA. But in my personal capacity, I cannot leave Grace Poe. I will support Grace in my personal capacity. She is my goddaughter and the daughter of my late beloved friend FPJ,” Estrada told The STAR.

Estrada’s son Rep. Juan Victor Ejercito, who is running for senator under UNA, also voiced his commitment to support Poe-Llamanzares.

“Grace is my godsister. Her mother, Susan Roces, is my godmother. I still have to support my godsister. I hope that we can campaign together,” Ejercito said.

“They shared laughter and they are well,” Ejercito said referring to what transpired when his father and Poe-Llamanzares recently met.

Another UNA senatorial candidate Juan Miguel Zubiri said he was saddened by the development.

“They are my friends, Senators Legarda and Escudero, while Poe-Llamanzares’ father FPJ is my idol. But our objective is to uplift the lives of the people. It’s a collective decision of UNA,” Zubiri said.

With the decision of UNA to drop Escudero, Legarda and Poe-Llamanzares, it would now be easier to manage the campaign because it would be “less baggage for us,” according to UNA bet Nancy Binay. “It is easy to campaign with us only nine,” Binay said.

“With nine candidates, UNA already has a handful of candidates. Nine is enough. But we are leaving the decision (to get replacements for the three) to the three kings,” senate bet Margarita “Tingting” Cojaungco said, referring to Estrada, Binay and Enrile.

“We don’t have the luxury of funds. It will be easy to move if we are only nine,” Ejercito said.

His father, however, is considering taking in Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn. “I will be happy if I will be with UNA. But there is no offer. We will cross the bridge when we get there,” Hagedorn said.

“I was offered by President Estrada before to replace Joey de Venecia, Jr. but when I learned that they are inclined to replace him with (Nancy) Binay, I did not pursue it. I am now independent,” Hagedorn said in a separate interview.

Ejercito said that in the initial stage of assembling the UNA senatorial slate, his father had considered inviting Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño. But Casiño said he had never received any invitation from UNA, formal or informal. “Last August, we decided to go on our own since there is no discussion about it,” Casiño said.

Meanwhile, UNA candidates are expected to campaign today in the coastal village of Calaguiman, Samal town in Bataan.

Samal Vice Mayor Emmanuel Cortez, lone UNA mayoralty candidate in Bataan, said Estrada is likely to draw considerable number of votes for UNA candidates as he had done so in the past.

“As the campaign fever heats up, we are bringing our advocacies for better governance to more and more people so that the Filipino voters can make an intelligent choice when it is time for them to troop to the polling stations on May 13, 2013,” candidate Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile said. With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla, Raffy Viray