Wednesday, February 28, 2007 Senator Pangilinan cuts ties with opposition
REELECTIONIST Senator Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday severed his affiliation with the Genuine Opposition (GO), which had included him as a guest candidate in its 12-man senatorial slate.
Pangilinan said in a press conference in Makati City that he had made known to the GO his stand from the start that he is running as an independent senator.
"From the very first day I have made clear my position that I am running as an independent senator as an independent candidate as a matter of principle. It is really an issue about principle and has nothing to do with accusations that I don't want to be associated with former President (Joseph) Estrada," said Pangilinan.
When asked if his candidacy would suffer as a result of that stand, he said he would leave it to the voters.
"I don't know whether it is a plus or minus factor but I consider it more as a plus factor. It is more of wanting to be consistent with my stand. In terms of my credibility it is up to the people to decide," he said, claiming that majority of Filipinos is "non-partisan".
He said he also does not want to be called a "political butterfly", a term used to define politicians who transfer from one party to another every time it suit his purpose or agenda.
Pangilinan said he was surprises when the opposition announced that he was one of the guest candidates, the other being Senate President Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party a day before the deadline for the filing of the certificate of candidacy for senatorial candidates.
Asked what might have prompted the opposition to include him in its line-up, Pangilinan said there may have been some members of the Liberal Party (LP) and civil society who want him included in the slate.
He said his plan initially was to run under a so-called "Third Force" slate being proposed by VIllar and his colleagues at the "Wednesday Group", Senators Joker Arroyo and Ralph Recto, but when the plan did not push through he made his decision to run independently.
Arroyo and Recto are running in the administration's Team Unity.
Pangilinan clarified that he can work with the opposition on certain issues facing the country such as the human rights violation, unabated killings of leftist and militant leaders in the country, and the public disclosure of the Melo Commission report, which was released recently and pointed at a small group in the military as behind the extrajudicial killings, an accusation denied by the military.
GO spokesperson Attorney Adel Tamano said they respect Pangilinan's decision not to join the opposition anymore.
"We respect his decision. If he really don't want to join us, we will no longer campaign for him," said Tamano.
He added that the issue of whether he will be dropped from the lineup and his replacement is being tackled by the coalition's executive committee composed of Binay, former senator Ernesto Maceda, reelectionist senator John Osmeña and other party elders.
Meanwhile, the LP brushed aside the move of the GO to drop Pangilinan from its slate.
LP president, Senator Franklin Drilon, said with the development, the LP and all its local chapters nationwide will work double time to ensure the victory of Pangilinan who has been topping pre-election surveys in the May senatorial race.
According to Drilon, LP will surely help in campaigning for Senator Pangilinan and fellow LP senatorial candidate Tarlac Rep. Benigno Aquino III who remains in the opposition's senatorial slate. (AH/CPB/Sunnex)
