By Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Christine Avendaño

MANILA, Philippines — Calling itself the “Grand Coalition,” the country’s political opposition Sunday completed its power-packed senatorial lineup, pitting it against an administration ticket studded with fewer stars but backed by a nationwide machinery and Malacañang’s political clout.

The opposition alliance finalized its slate with the inclusion of Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan of the Liberal Party, former senator Anna Dominique “Nikki” Coseteng and detained Navy Lt. Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV, who is facing mutiny charges.

Earlier, the opposition confirmed that its 12-member lineup would also have Senate President Manuel Villar.

Countering opposition moves, Malacañang announced on Sunday that its so-called Team Unity ticket would now include independent Sen. Joker Arroyo and Nacionalista Party Sen. Ralph Recto, two lawmakers whose championing of opposition causes in the past had riled the Palace.

The last-minute maneuverings came on the eve of the deadline for the filing of senatorial candidacies.

While the opposition has completed its lineup in the race for 12 senatorial slots up for grabs in the May 14 polls, the administration has so far filled up only 11 slots.

Speaker Jose de Venecia said the 12th slot in the administration lineup would go to a yet unnamed Muslim figure.

Officially, the administration slate is called “T.E.A.M (Together Everyone Achieves More) Unity.”

The opposition immediately proclaimed its lineup as “a winning team” and said the election would be a referendum on the performance of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“We are aiming for (a 12-0 victory) because we have a strong slate with just the right representation,” United Opposition (UNO) president and Makati City Major Jejomar Binay told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The protagonists

“In a clean and honest election, I am positive that we can make the majority of our candidates win,” said opposition campaign manager and San Juan Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito, who had withdrawn his Senate bid.

Villar, Pangilinan, Coseteng and Trillanes will join the following aspirants in the opposition slate: Sen. Panfilo Lacson, former senators Loren Legarda and John Osmeña, Representatives Francis Escudero (Sorsogon), Alan Peter Cayetano (Pateros-Taguig) and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III (Tarlac), Sen. Aquilino Pimentel’s lawyer-son Koko, and the late senator Raul Roco’s wife Sonia.

Opposing them are Arroyo (representing Kampi), Recto (who will file his candidacy under the Lakas-CMD party), Sen. Edgardo Angara (Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino), former senators Vicente Sotto III and Tessie Aquino-Oreta (both from the Nationalist People’s Coalition), Michael Defensor (Liberal Party) and Lakas boys Bukidnon Rep. Miguel Zubiri, Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson and Zambales Gov. Vic Magsaysay.

The 11th candidate to come on board for the administration was Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla, who belongs to a well-known political clan in the Visayas.

A balanced team

“We have an ideal balance in the membership of the ticket in terms of qualification, personal profile and even regional representation,” presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio said in a phone interview.

Designated opposition spokesperson Adel Tamano said no issues were raised against the inclusion of Trillanes in the opposition lineup, during final discussions in Club Filipino in San Juan Sunday.

But other opposition members privy to the discussions said some prominent personalities in the group had reservations about including the alleged mutiny leader, who has filed his candidacy as an independent.

“Trillanes is very idealistic and he has been espousing good governance,” Ejercito said, adding that the inclusion of the mutinous officer was “a unanimous decision.”

“Trillanes will symbolize the reform in the Armed Forces,” former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, sister of former President Fidel Ramos, told the Inquirer.

Shahani was also considered for an opposition slot, but she said she begged off because she was not prepared for a national campaign.

3 women

“It is a very good team. It is a winning team. It represents the hopes and aspirations of our people, which is to have a more democratic society,” Shahani said.

Coseteng said the slate was a “strong team” and pointed out there were three women in it.

Ejercito said that while the opposition would not have as big a campaign fund and as extensive a political machinery as the administration, the opposition team had the more potent political issues on its side.

“Candidates who joined the team are for truth and justice,” he said.

Binay said that all member parties and organizations of the coalition were consulted before UNO finally decided on its senatorial lineup.

“It’s a broad coalition. Everybody gave their opinion and, in the end, we had to decide,” Binay said.

The inclusion of Pangilinan, Coseteng and Trillanes was a decision made upon consultations with all coalition partners, he said.

Pangilinan expressed surprise at the opposition’s decision to include him in its senatorial ticket.

“I have not spoken to anyone in UNO (United Opposition) about this adoption and so I am surprised by the inclusion. I am thankful for the trust UNO has shown to me,” he said.

“Still I consider myself an independent candidate. Should I be reelected, I am ready to work with the opposition or the administration on an issue-to-issue basis as I have done so in the Senate these past two years.’’

Villar himself stressed he would remain independent despite his inclusion in the opposition ticket.

Ms Arroyo hosted lunch Sunday for the administration candidates.

Only Singson was not present in the lunch at Ms Arroyo’s Makati residence. Singson was still recuperating from abdominal surgery but sent his son Ronald to represent him.

“President Arroyo gave warm words of welcome and expressed delight over their being in the lineup,” Claudio said.

Claudio described the luncheon as generally “upbeat, relaxed and happy.”

Pichay, Sotto and Oreta mingled with each other “as if there was no ice to begin with,” Claudio said. He was referring to Pichay’s strong opposition to the inclusion of the oppositionists Sotto and Oreta in Team Unity.

‘A united country’

Sotto said he only knew for sure that he and Oreta were in the administration slate Sunday when he was informed that the NPC had “formalized” its team-up with the administration coalition.

Sotto said his joining the Team Unity slate was “the best way for a united Philippines.”

“Even if we are loyalists of Erap (former President Joseph Estrada) and FPJ (the late actor and presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr.), they accepted us … and it’s a good step toward reconciliation,” he said in a phone interview.

“If FPJ were alive today, he would have supported my move,” he said. “FPJ wanted unity in the country.”

Sotto said Ms Arroyo thanked them for accepting the invitation to run in the administration ticket.

“She was expressing gratitude to the members of the slate … and she talked of the goal to continue with the economic gains and achieve reconciliation,” he said.

He said Team Unity was a “very good combination of oppositionists, Arroyo loyalists who represent all sectors and regions.”

“It’s up to the people to decide,” Sotto said when asked about the chances of the senatorial ticket.

Team Unity will have Reli German as campaign manager and Mike Toledo as campaign spokesperson, according to Claudio. Both German and Toledo were previously identified with Estrada.

Posted in Inquirer.net
February 12, 2007