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Thursday, March 01, 2007
Opposition ousts Pangilinan from Senate ticket
MANILA -- The Genuine Opposition (GO) on Wednesday announced that it has dropped Senator Francis Pangilinan, who is seeking reelection, from its senatorial slate.
In a press conference Wednesday at the coalition's national headquarters in Mandaluyong City, group spokesman Attorney Adel Tamano said the decision to exclude Pangilinan from their slate was reached after consultations with coalition partners, which include the Nacionalista Party (NP) and Liberal Party (LP).
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007
He added that "GO can later fill the slot" in the senatorial line-up vacated by Pangilinan, who is affiliated with the LP.
The decision to evict Pangilinan came a day after the senator severed his affiliation with the GO and insisted that he campaign independently. Pangilinan also said he made it clear to the GO from the start that he was seeking reelection as an independent candidate.
He said the decision was made to resolve the issue and to enable the opposition to focus on election issues like poverty, hunger, unemployment, criminality and the unabated killings and human rights violations in the country.
Actor Richard Gomez, who is running as an independent candidate although he was sworn in as a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), and detained former senator Gregorio Honasan are being eyed as possible replacement of Pangilinan.
United Opposition chairman and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said no decision has been reached on Pangilinan's replacement and that it would be up to the coalition's executive committee to decide on the matter.
Former senator Ernesto Maceda defended the "deliberate" decision of the coalition on Pangilinan. "We have been deliberate because in any political collegial activity, you have to make a lot of discussions and we have to bear in mind that this is a political coalition. We need to consult with our coalition's partners," Maceda said.
He likewise said the decision to include Pangilinan in the slate was made upon consultations with Senate President Manuel Villar who informed the group that they could adopt him and Pangilinan in the 12-man senatorial line-up.
Maceda said that even if the GO has a vacant slot, it does and will not have an adverse impact on its campaign strategy.
The opposition cited a recent survey conducted by Pulse Asia, which showed the coalition's candidates besting the administration's bets by a wide margin.
The survey conducted in Manila from February 10 to 12 showed Loren Legarda with a 63.2 percent approval rating, Panfilo Lacson with 56.4, Francis Escudero with 50.9, Alan Peter Cayetano with 50.6, Pangilinan with 43.2, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino with 41.2, Gregorio Honasan with 38.4, Recto with 36.1, Vicente "Tito" Sotto III with 34.7 and Villar with 32.9 percent.
Rounding up the top 12 is Arroyo with 31 percent and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III with 29.2 percent.
Seven of the candidates in the top 12 are from the opposition while three belong to the administration and two are independent candidates.
Pangilinan shrugged off the move of the GO and said he welcomed it.
He said he is "thankful that everything is clear now and that they can all campaign freely."
Pangilinan jokingly said he could now say that he is a "Genuine Independent."
Meanwhile, LP president and Senator Franklin Drilon appealed to Maceda to leave Pangilinan alone and instead use his media savvy to propagate the platform of government of the opposition slate.
"As a former Senate colleague and a peer in the United Opposition coalition, I respectfully appeal to Senator Maceda to leave Kiko alone and accept, if not respect, his (Pangilinan's) decision to take an independent stance during this campaign," Drilon said.
"Everybody knows Senator Maceda is very media savvy and he knows his campaign politics," Drilon added. "The negative publicity he has inevitably generated for Kiko is not helping the cause of the Genuine Opposition. It will only benefit the Malacañang candidates who are now reportedly snickering on the sidelines," Drilon added.
Reports have it that it was Maceda who had been giving unauthorized media interviews questioning Pangilinan's role in the opposition slate as an adopted candidate.
Drilon reiterated that the LP and all its local chapters nationwide would work double time to ensure the victory of Pangilinan who has been topping pre-elections surveys in the May senatorial race.
Escudero, meanwhile, said the GO did the right thing when it junked Pangilinan from the opposition's senatorial ticket.
Although he expressed remorse over the decision of the team to drop Pangilinan, Escudero said it was about time that the GO decided on the issue.
He also said Pangilinan's continued refusal to join the GO's sorties and meetings affected the entire team.
Escudero criticized Pangilian for not even showing a little respect to the opposition that had been too accommodating of him. (AH/DBP/CPB/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (March 1, 2007 issue)
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