Joey de Venecia: Visayas a "waterloo" for us

CEBU, Philippines - ZTE whistleblower Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, in a press conference at La Fortuna Hotel in downtown Cebu City yesterday admitted that the Visayas voters are difficult to woe, even describing it a "waterloo" for his political party.

"It's a Waterloo for us. The Visayas has always been a challenge (to us). So we start early, especially that most of our members don't know that we’re active," said de Venecia, secretary general of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino - Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

In the last May 2010 elections, presidential candidate Joseph Estrada lost here while his Vice President Jejomar Binay, the party's head, scored low. De Venecia and along with the rest of the PDP-Laban senatoriables were also defeated in the Visayas.

Asked if they will field a candidate from the Visayas for a senatorial post in the 2013 polls like what the other parties have been doing to win the votes of the Visayan electorate, de Venecia said it is yet "too early" to tell.

"The Cebuanos are very good leaders, and most of them have positions in the local government already so I doubt if we can convince them to run for the senate. Nevertheless, we don't have shortfall for people who want to serve," he said.

Meanwhile, de Venecia hinted that he and party-ally lawyer Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel are considered for the posts. But his visit yesterday was not to campaign for their elections in 2013, but to "solidify" their members in the Visayas, the same way they have been doing in Luzon.

He also hinted that his group is open for coalitions even to local groups like the One Cebu of the Garcias and the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan of the Osmeñas. (FREEMAN)