Friday, February 09, 2007
Loren, 2 other opposition bets file Senate bids
MANILA -- Former senator and defeated vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda filed on Thursday her candidacy for a Senate seat under the United Opposition (UNO) banner.
Two other opposition figures, Tarlac Representative Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and former senator Anna Dominique "Nikki" Coseteng, also filed their candidacies.
Aquino is a candidate of the Liberal Party (LP) wing of Senator Franklin Drilon while Coseteng is running as an independent.
So far, 36 people have filed their candidacies for the Senate as of Thursday afternoon. The deadline for the filing of candidacies for the Upper House of Congress is on February 12.
Legarda, who is a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), said she decided to file her candidacy "to once and for all settle speculations" that she is bolting out of the United Opposition (UNO)." The filing was despite her pending poll protest against Vice President Noli de Castro at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
Legarda was accompanied by former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, her lawyer Sixto Brillantes, and movie producer Lily Monteverde.
Legarda's filing of her candidacy for senator might jeopardize her protest against de Castro.
De Castro's lawyer Romulo Macalintal earlier said Legarda's filing of her candidacy would be taken as the dropping of her complaint of being cheated of victory in the 2004 elections when she ran for vice president against de Castro.
Aquino III was accompanied by his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, and his younger sister, actress and game show host Kristine Bernadette "Kris" Aquino-Yap.
Coseteng in an interview said she hoped that the UNO led by former President Joseph Estrada would take her in as a guest candidate. She served as senator from 1992 to 1998.
Earlier, former senator Gringo Honasan, Sorsogon Representative Francis Escudero, Bukidnon Representative Juan Miguel Zubiri, and detained Magdalo Group leader Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes filed their senatorial bids.
At the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said they would identify qualified candidates for senator after the lapse of the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy.
"The law department will scrutinize the COCs (certificate of candidacies) and will then submit to us the recommendations and the en banc will then decide who will be disqualified," Borra said. (MSN/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (February 9, 2007 issue)
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