Parties begin girding for 2007 polls

With barely a year to go before the 2007 midterm elections, opposition political groups have started preparations for a full offensive to ensure their victory.

This developed as Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. called for the abolition of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), the umbrella organization of opposition parties that supported the presidental candidacy of the late Fernando Poe Jr. in the May 2004 general elections.

Pimentel, chairman of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), sought the dissolution of the KNP claiming the coalition has already outlived its usefulness.

He said PDP-Laban will formally petition the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that it will withdraw its membership with the KNP.

Pimentel stressed the PDP-Laban has been inactive since the last elections.

"Indeed, there is no need to a keep a coalition that no longer serves its purpose," Pimentel said.

"In fact, it is my view that the coalition was dissolved after the elections of 2004, the purpose for which it was organized. Now, the LDP may already have its own agenda. Unless that agenda is collectively defined with its coalition partners, it may be best to formally declare the coalition ended," he said.

The opposition senator also expressed support for the reported moves by the Liberal Party (LP) and the Nacionalista Party (NP) under incoming Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. to link up for the 2007 elections.

"The projected coalition of the LP and the NP for the 2007 elections is a good move for short-term political gains," he said.

Pimentel, however, noted efforts to merge the country’s oldest political institutions indicate a lack of specific platforms that differentiate them from the other.

"Which is why political parties of the country are essentially weak and victory in partisan contests relies more on the personal popularity of the candidates than on party platforms," Pimentel said.

Sen. Ralph Recto revealed yesterday that an LP-NP coalition would likely materialize by yearend.

Recto confirmed talks were ongoing between LP and NP leaders but refused to say which of the LP factions — that of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza or the group led by outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon — was cementing the merger plans.

"Between now until December, magkakaroon ng usapan ’yan (there will be talks on that merger). It’s only a year left before the elections. Many people are thinking of the elections in 2007, naturally," he said.

Recto added the NP members in the House of Representatives can still flex their muscles in deciding whether to support or go against the second impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.

Recto noted that there are about 20 NP members in the House, whose votes are critical in influencing the second impeachment case against the President.