JV willing to campaign with Koko if...

MANILA, Philippines - San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said yesterday he is willing to campaign with Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III if no political party adopts the Mindanao senator as candidate in the May 2013 elections.

He said as friends, he and Pimentel could have some joint campaign sorties.

“We would rather see him still with us in UNA (United Nationalist Coalition), instead of him joining another political party or coalition,” he said.

He added that the two of them could have their own alliance.

UNA is a coalition between the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), the party founded and headed by Ejercito’s father, former President Joseph Estrada and Vice President Jejomar Binay of PDP-Laban, of which Pimentel is president.

But Pimentel recently decided to leave UNA after failing to get its leaders to junk fellow Mindanaoan and ex-Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, whom he accuses of depriving him of four years of his six-year term as a senator.

The Commission on Elections had declared Zubiri as the 12th winner in the 2007 elections, but he gave up his Senate seat late last year after revelations by Maguindanao and election officials that they cheated for him and other Arroyo administration senatorial candidates.

The Senate Electoral Tribunal proclaimed Pimentel as the real winner.

Zubiri said he wants to seek a fresh mandate. He has joined Estrada’s PMP, which has nominated him to the UNA senatorial ticket, along with Ejercito.

Pimentel has said he might run as an independent.

Other possible UNA senatorial candidates include Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, ex-senators Ernesto Maceda and Francisco Tatad, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay.

Nancy, Binay’s daughter is also in the senatorial list.

Earlier, Estrada accused the ruling Liberal Party (LP) of “pirating” UNA senatorial candidates, including Senators Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda and Alan Peter Cayetano.

The three senators have been assured of slots in the planned LP-led three-party administration coalition.