MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan expects an uphill battle for the Liberal Party (LP) senatorial and local candidates that would be pitted against the administration’s juggernaut in the coming May 2019 elections.
Speaking to “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News, Pangilinan said he would be managing the campaign of the opposition coalition with the aim of being able to articulate the real needs of the people as well as presenting a platform to address these.
“It’s going to be an uphill battle, it’s going to be difficult, it’s not easy. Clearly we are the underdogs here… but we believe ultimately that we have a message to bring to the people (and) hopefully they will respond by way of supporting our eight candidates,” he said.
The senatorial candidates under the opposition coalition are led by former interior secretary Mar Roxas, reelectionist Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, former solicitor general Florin Hilbay, former Quezon congressman Erin Tañada, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno and Mindanao advocate Samira Gutoc-Tomawis.
Pangilinan, LP president, said his work includes managing the campaign schedule, particularly in vote-rich areas, raising resources for the campaign and finalizing the message the coalition wants to impart to the people.
“Ultimately, the main concern of the people is the issue of poverty, the issue of jobs, the prices of basic goods. We believe that these are not given priority by the present administration, so that is the message we should push,” he revealed.
He added that his wife, multi-awarded actress Sharon Cuneta, may campaign for the opposition coalition even as he downplayed her apparent closeness to President Duterte, who once described him as the “most stupid lawyer.”
Cuneta’s brother Chet is running for mayor of Pasay City under Duterte’s PDP-Laban.
“She (Sharon) might choose some candidates (to support) – we’ll see – and support some candidates we don’t know, I don’t know yet but in the end, like every other family in the country, I’d like to think we also should be actively involved in elections, we should participate. We should know the issues whether we’re celebrities or not,” Pangilinan said.
When asked about their divergent political associations, he said: “Ultimately, you just have to agree to disagree without being disagreeable.”
He said families whose members have divergent political views are not uncommon.
Pangilinan clarified that Sharon did not campaign for Duterte in the 2016 elections but supported Vice President Leni Robredo.