UNA on LP coalition: It's David vs Goliath

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) is prepared to do battle with the three-party pro-administration coalition in next year’s elections.

Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, UNA secretary-general, said yesterday the coalition of the Liberal Party (LP), Nacionalista Party (NP) and Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) must not be too confident that they would defeat UNA.

“It’s really David against Goliath, not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of resources, since government resources are at their disposal,” he said.

Tiangco said fusing the LP, NP and NPC – the three largest political groups in the country – for the 2013 polls would make many of their members disgruntled, particularly at the provincial, city and town levels.

“There will be those who will be unhappy at the arbitrariness of the LP-NP-NPC coalition,” he said.

“They will be welcome to UNA, but in all cases we will always give priority to those who have worked hard for us in the past.”

Tiangco said Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., an NP member, has already voiced his misgivings on his party’s decision to join the pro-administration coalition.

“UNA has made a concerted effort to avoid being arbitrary, that’s why it has limited itself to two national parties – the PMP (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) and PDP-Laban,” he said. 

“We give a premium of loyalty to our local leaders. These two parties have been partners in all elections since 2001.”

Tiangco said the planned pro-administration coalition must remember that “all politics is local.”

“The local candidates will be the ones to deliver the votes for the national candidates,” he said.

“We will not sacrifice our local leaders and candidates just to achieve the perception of national strength through sheer numbers.”

Tiangco and former President Joseph Estrada, PMP founder and one of the three members of UNA’s executive committee, have accused the LP-NPC-NP coalition of “pirating” its senatorial candidates.

Among these candidates are Senators Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda and Alan Peter Cayetano. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who has junked UNA, is being eyed for a slot in the administration coalition’s ticket.

Despite losing its candidates to the administration, Tiangco said UNA could still complete a 12-member senatorial slate that would include Sen. Gregorio Honasan and Representatives Jack Enrile of Cagayan and Joseph Victor Ejercito of San Juan, and Nancy Binay.