Magsaysay confirms inclusion in LP senatorial slate

MANILA, Philippines - Former Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. came out of retirement from politics to take another crack at the Senate after seeing the determination of the current administration to institute genuine reforms in the country.

Magsaysay confirmed his inclusion in the administration’s Liberal Party (LP) as a senatorial candidate for next year’s mid-term elections.

He admitted that he decided to retire because of his frustration over the way the previous administration was running the government.

Another Magsaysay, Zambales 1st District Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, has already been assured of a slot in the senatorial slate of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.

“I suffered from many years of frustration that the (previous) leadership was not focused on the fight against waste, corruption and inefficiencies,” Magsaysay said in an interview over radio dzRH.

He said that everyone must help the administration in addressing the needs of the people regardless of their political affiliations.

With the right leaders, Magsaysay said that the country may finally move out of the cellar among Southeast Asian nations.

Magsaysay finished his second term as senator in 2007. As chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture, he investigated the P728-million fertilizer fund scam in 2004.

The principal players in the scam against whom his committee recommended criminal charges included former agriculture secretary Cito Lorenzo, his former undersecretary Joselyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, another former undersecretary Belinda Gonzales, and former assistant secretary Ibarra Poliquit Jr.

According to the committee report, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could not escape responsibility for the scam since the huge amount of fertilizer funds was disbursed in connection with the 2004 election in which she was a candidate.

The Commission on Audit had discovered that the bulk of the funds was used to procure liquid fertilizer that was overpriced by as much as 1,000 percent.

Most fertilizer deliveries could not be accounted for as they had “evaporated.”

Criminal charges in connection with the scam are now pending with the Office of the Ombudsman. 

LP vice chairman Sen. Franklin Drilon announced the entry of Magsaysay to the administration’s senatorial ticket during a weekly forum held at the Senate last Thursday.

Drilon even raised some controversy when he described the former senator as “the real Magsaysay,” which was not taken well by Rep. Magsaysay.

Rep. Magsaysay is the wife of a nephew of former senator Magsaysay and the daughter-in-law of former Zambales Gov. Vicente Magsaysay.

Calling the real ‘Magsaysay’

The former senator said that he has no problems about having two Magsaysays running against each other or even being part of the Senate together if ever they both succeed in their respective bids.

He said voters are so educated that they would know the particular candidate they would vote for even if there were two names in the ballot with the same family name.

“She is her own person and her desire to run for Senate is legitimate. We each have our own strengths,” he said, referring to the congresswoman.

However, Rep. Magsaysay chided Drilon for supposedly making it appear that she is a “fake” or not the real Magsaysay.

In a text message to reporters, she said she took offense at Drilon’s remark that the former senator is the “real” Magsaysay.

The Zambales congresswoman said Drilon’s statement “is an affront to all married women.”

“It just shows how low he regards his wife and his sister-in-law. Does he mean that Mrs. Drilon is now regarded as a fake?” she asked.

“His remark smacks of discrimination and encourages families to regard women and mothers as never worthy to be part of that family even if they have married into it,” she said.

But Drilon immediately clarified that he never called Rep. Magsaysay a “fake Magsaysay.”

“The transcript of the press conference where I announced my endorsement of Ramon Magsaysay Jr. for senator will reveal that I never used the word ‘fake.’ What I said is that I am personally endorsing former senator Magsaysay as part of the LP slate in the Senate, ang tunay na Magsaysay ang aming kandidato (The real Magsaysay is our candidate),” Drilon said. – With Jess Diaz