UNA-Lakas alliance awaits GMA nod

MANILA, Philippines - The formal alliance between Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and Lakas is awaiting the approval of detained former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“We are just waiting for the go-signal of GMA, who is our titular leader,” former Quezon congressman Danilo Suarez, Lakas co-chairman, told reporters.

“Once we have it, we will formalize our alliance. But as of now, we are helping the Vice President choose his running mate and his senatorial candidates,” he said.

Lakas was the ruling party during the Arroyo administration. The former president is under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center on a plunder case.

Binay himself is facing allegations of corruption and plunder. He has denied the accusations.

Suarez said Binay still has no vice presidential candidate.

He said among those being considered are Rep. Lito Atienza of party-list group Buhay, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

He said Lakas would bat for the inclusion of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who is Lakas president, in Binay’s senatorial ticket.

Earlier, Suarez urged the administration not to use the P63-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to promote the political plans of its candidates in the 2016 elections.

“The administration should suspend the implementation of the CCT program before next year’s elections. Of course, they could always advance the cash transfers,” he said.

“There are more than four million CCT beneficiaries. If only half of those would vote for administration candidates, they will have a huge edge over their opponents,” he said.

Suarez, who has been accompanying Binay in his provincial visits, also said he believes that if the presidential contest next year were a one-on-one between his candidate and outgoing Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, “it will be a tight race.”

“If Sen. Grace Poe and other presidential wannabes join the race, I think Vice President will have the advantage,” he said.

The CCT program gives monthly financial assistance to millions of households identified as belonging to the “poorest of the poor.” The Department of Social Welfare and Development is the program implementer.