LDP, NPC nearing merger, says Sotto

The opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and the pro-administration Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) agreed yesterday to coalesce and join forces for the May 2004 presidential elections.

The consensus was reached during a meeting between LDP and NPC representatives: Sen. Edgardo Angara who heads the LDP, Sen. Vicente Sotto III and Laguna Rep. Joaquin Chipeco of the LDP, and Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy Jr. and Frisco San Juan of the NPC.

"It’s a done deal," Sotto told reporters after the meeting, referring to the proposed coalition of the two parties to form a united opposition that will support a single presidential candidate in next year’s elections.

However, he said the mechanics of the coalition will still have to be discussed and contentious issues will have to be brought before a bipartisan arbitration committee.

Because of this, Sotto said the Oct. 11 deadline set by the LDP and NPC to coalesce was moved to Nov. 15.

"There will be continuing meetings among leaders of the two political parties to discuss and resolve issues related to the proposed coalition and the selection of candidates," he added.

So far, there is only one declared presidential aspirant in the ranks of the opposition — Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who belongs to Angara’s LDP.

Businessman and San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., founder and principal financer of NPC, is still not sure whether to seek the presidency again. He was a presidential candidate in 1992 but lost to Fidel Ramos.

The third name that is being floated as a possible opposition standard bearer is that of movie actor Fernando Poe Jr.

But according to Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, who heads the opposition bloc in the House, Poe, like Cojuangco, has no decision yet on whether to run for president. Some sources claim the actor is not interested in the top post.

"In case FPJ decides to run, he (will) be a reluctant candidate, and it is very hard for us opposition leaders in the provinces to support and campaign for a reluctant candidate," he said.

Padilla and several House colleagues, including Makati Rep. Agapito Aquino, who is LDP secretary general, are supporting Lacson’s presidential bid.

To them, Lacson has earned the endorsement of their party as the opposition standard bearer with his Incredible Hulk-Jose Pidal expose that has brought down the performance and trust ratings of President Arroyo.

No other opposition leader has damaged the credibility of the Arroyo administration as much as Lacson did, they said.

Besides, they claimed that Cojuangco’s NPC is part of the administration, not the opposition.