JDV prefers Danding in 2004

DAGUPAN CITY — Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. admitted he is "strongly inclined" to support the presidential bid of tycoon Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr. but he could not unilaterally endorse him because he is a co-chairman of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party.

"We have to engage in extensive party consultation," De Venecia told local journalists after he inaugurated several road projects in Pangasinan.

The Speaker refused to speculate if Cojuangco would push through with his plan to run for president next year and preferred to wait until the tycoon makes known his decision in August or September as he announced earlier.

"I do not want to add to that because this has to be the personal decision of (former) Ambassador Cojuangco," De Venecia said.

He said he appreciates Cojuangco’s decision to maintain the coalition his Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) forged in the House of Representatives and hoped the alliance would be able to field some common candidates in the elections.

At the same time, De Venecia maintained that the political summit he has proposed is still "the best solution to resolve conflicting ambitions."

The Lakas-CMD national directorate meeting has already empowered the party’s executive committee to choose the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates and a select committee was formed to choose the party’s other candidates, from the senatorial to mayoral level, he said.

De Venecia reiterated that the party executive committee will have to discuss who the party will endorse if President Arroyo sticks to her Dec. 30, 2002 announcement that she will not run next year.

But he said Arroyo, who he said wants to stick to her announcement, will have to finally decide by September or August if she wants to reverse her decision.

"We have to respect her decision. She keeps saying we have to turn the country around, we have to push the economic and social reforms and she’s succeeding," De Venecia said.

If Mrs. Arroyo will not run, De Venecia said, there will be a good number of Lakas-CMD members who are expected to root for Cojuangco while several others are expected to go for former senator and education secretary Raul Roco.

Meanwhile, Cojuangco is set to visit Urdaneta, Pangasinan on July 22 for a meeting with the political group Biskeg Pangasinan (Strength of Pangasinan).

Lakas-CMD provincial leaders said many of them are having second thoughts on attending the meeting for fear that their presence may be misinterpreted as an endorsement for Cojuangco.

But De Venecia said it’s okay if Lakas-CMD officials in Pangasinan welcome Cojuangco because of its coalition with the NPC.

He said he himself had wanted to welcome Cojuangco to Pangasinan but he will be in Indonesia on that day for a speaking engagement that may help expedite the peace talks with the MILF.

"Danding is my good friend. I would have wanted to be here to receive him," he said, adding that he and his wife will come to Pangasinan on that day if he could postpone the trip to Indonesia.