Chavit, Goma join Senate derby

Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson and movie actor Richard Gomez announced yesterday their intention to run for senator in the May elections.

Singson said he wanted to continue his crusade for more autonomy for local government units across the country.

"I am running for senator to fight for decentralization of local government units from imperial Metro Manila. This will be my platform in the coming elections," Singson told The STAR in an interview at the Rembrandt Hotel in Quezon City.

Gomez, on the other hand, said this would be his contribution to the desire of most Filipinos for an end to political bickering.

"Personally, I’m fed up with political bickering among our leaders. Let’s look for something positive for a change," he said. "If given the chance, I will perform and do something good for everyone, for the country."

It’s not the first time Gomez is seeking an elective post. In May 2001, he ran for a seat in Congress as a party-list representative of Mamamayang Ayaw sa Droga (MAD). He garnered the required two million votes but was disqualified by the Commission on Elections for complaints of alleged use of government funds for the campaign.

Singson said he will file his candidacy next week after the administration party announces its official candidates.

He said if he is not included in Lakas-CMD slate, he will run as an independent candidate as he has the support of the vote-rich "Solid North," which reportedly has a bloc vote of at least 3.5 million.

The northern alliance, composed of 31 congressmen from the Ilocos region, officially announced their support for Singson during a meeting last night.

Rep. Eric Singson, Chavit’s cousin and president of the alliance said they only support one candidate from their region.

"Chavit will be the only representative of the Solid North," Eric said.

Singson, chairman of the League of Governors of the Philippines (LGP), said he has also gotten the support of past and present governors, including the Union of Local Authorities (ULAP) and Sigaw ng Bayan, which spearheaded the failed people’s initiative bid to amend the Constitution.

He has not decided, though, who he will anoint as "successor" to his post as Ilocos Sur governor.

For his part, Gomez is running under the "unity ticket" that will be fielded by the Arroyo administration.

The actor, however, will have to first take his oath as member of the pro-Arroyo bloc of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Gomez campaigned for the late Fernando Poe Jr., the opposition’s standard-bearer in the May 2004 elections. But he said the pro-Arroyo bloc of the Liberal Party, headed by Mayor Lito Atienza, was the first to invite him to join the administration’s unity ticket.

"But I have more friends in the NPC who support my platform for the youth and sports," he said.

Former senators Vicente Sotto III and Tessie Aquino-Oreta, who both bolted from the opposition, also took their oath of membership with the NPC last week. They are reportedly included in the administration’s unity ticket.

House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, however, said that President Arroyo has the final say on whether the two disgruntled opposition leaders will be included in the administration’s senatorial ticket.

"Obviously, whoever is putting this slate together has the go-signal from the President," Nograles said in a news conference.

He also said that Mrs. Arroyo’s decision would be known shortly before midnight of Feb. 12, the last day of filing of certificates of candidacy.

As this developed, former senator Francisco Tatad has formed "Moral Force," which he said aims to educate voters, especially in choosing candidates.

Tatad is not running for any position but said he wants to help put order in the electoral process.

"The issue is fundamental. We are in politics to improve the quality of politics," he said.

NPC free to coalesce with other parties

Businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, who is president emeritus of the NPC, convened his party mates Tuesday night and gave blanket authority to party leaders to coalesce with other political parties.

Cojuangco, chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), also presided the NPC caucus in New Manila, Quezon City yesterday morning. NPC top guns, including president Frisco San Juan, chairman and Isabela Rep. Faustino Dy and secretary-general Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit, attended the party caucus.

Sotto told The STAR that Dy was given authority to talk with chairmen and presidents of political parties for a possible coalition in the May polls.

House Minority Leader Sorsogon Rep. Francis Escudero, an NPC stalwart, said the NPC has lived up to its tradition of maintaining coalitions with all political parties while leaving the decision to its individual party members to choose opposition or pro-administration groups.

In his case, he said he belongs to the opposition bloc of the NPC while his party mates are with the ruling majority in Congress. — WIth Marichu Villanueva, Jess Diaz, Mike Frialde