Noy aunt in UNA Senate slate

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino’s aunt Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco will run for senator in next year’s election under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.

A highly placed source, who requested anonymity, said the former Tarlac governor and wife of UNA vice president Jose Cojuangco will complete the 12-member senatorial slate of UNA.

“Tingting will be conferring with her family before making the final announcement that she will run,” the source said.

In a press conference at the Office of the Vice President at the Coconut Palace yesterday, Estrada, UNA chairman, and Binay, UNA president, formally announced their nine official candidates for senator in next year’s elections.

Estrada said UNA senatorial candidates former Senate president Ernesto Maceda, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, former senator Richard Gordon, Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile (son of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile), former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, Sen. Loren Legarda, Joey de Venecia (son of former speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.) and San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito Estrada (Estrada’s son) will be filing their certificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Oct. 1, at 1 p.m. sharp.

Binay was the one who announced that Legarda has officially accepted UNA’s invitation for her to be a guest candidate.

“The executive committee were unanimous in their decision to invite Legarda,” Binay said.

Binay said Legarda is running under her party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), and has been with the NPC since 2007 when she topped the polls with 18.4 million votes.

“Senator Legarda brings to UNA her exemplary record as a legislator and public servant and her passion for serving the Filipino people,” he said.

“UNA warmly welcomes her to the coalition, where her passion for service and commitment to good governance is recognized and shared by the coalition partners.”

Binay said Legarda has done good as a senator, having sponsored legislative measures which were approved into law, like Barangay Kabuhayan Act, Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Climate Change Act, Anti-Violence Against Women Act and the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act.

“We in UNA believe that our country needs a senator like her who is intelligent, hardworking and is well-loved by Filipinos,” he said.

Binay said he will talk to Sen. Francis Escudero whether he would accept UNA’s invitation to run as guest candidate.

“Senator Legarda joined us because she believes in the principles of UNA,” he said.

As Estrada had confirmed, UNA will adopt Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairman, as a senatorial candidate, he added.

Binay said UNA has designated Senate President Enrile as chairman emeritus, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and former lawmaker Peping Cojuangco as vice president (representing Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, respectively), former lawmaker Toby Tiangco as secretary-general and vice presidential daughter Ma. Lourdes Nancy Binay-Angeles as deputy secretary-general.

Speaking over radio dzRH, Estrada said UNA has many applicants for senators.

“We are filing our certificates of candidacy because we are UNA, we are always number one,” he said.

“We need the likes of more senior statesmen like former ambassador Maceda and Dick Gordon. While Migz and Magsaysay are identified with the previous Arroyo administration, they were not party to any corruption. So, we will have them in UNA Senate slate.

“I will campaign for them and go all over the country to help them win.”

Estrada: UNA adopts Poe

Estrada said yesterday UNA is “unconditionally” adopting Llamanzares as a senatorial candidate.

“Grace is an exemption to the rule,” he said.

“We know that FPJ has really been cheated. If Grace Poe is willing to campaign with us, she is most welcome.”

Estrada said he values his close friendship with FPJ, who had lost to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 presidential elections due to alleged massive fraud.

“But whether or not she will campaign with us, we are adopting her (as guest candidate).”

Estrada said he has already personally informed Llamanzares that UNA is adopting her as a guest candidate.

“She said she appreciates our position,” he said.

For his part, Binay said UNA’s decision to “unconditionally” adopt Llamanzares as its guest senatorial candidate must not create any intrigue.

“I hope it will not create an intrigue because (former) President Estrada has special relations with Grace Poe-Llamanzares,” he said. “We are also close to FPJ.”

Escudero: I’m an independent

Escudero will run as an independent in next year’s senatorial election.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel media forum, Escudero said: “I have no plans of joining any political party, I plan to remain independent.”

However, Escudero welcomed reports that he is being considered as guest candidate in the Liberal Party and the UNA.

He would have a higher probability of winning if many groups support his candidacy, he added.

Pacquiao to campaign for UNA

Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will campaign for UNA’s senatorial candidates next year.

In an interview with The STAR, the lawmaker said he will definitely find substantial time to campaign nationwide for UNA’s senatorial candidates.

“I am the official congressional candidate in Sarangani of UNA,” he said.

“I will definitely campaign for UNA’s senatorial candidates, although I will also have to campaign for my candidacy as congressman of Sarangani. I will join especially during my free time.”

Pacquiao attended the press conference of UNA at the Coconut Palace yesterday.

Ejercito: I’m nervous

Ejercito Estrada said he is now getting nervous having landed fourth among the “senatoriables” in the recent survey of Pulse Asia.

“I’m getting nervous, I only wish to be on the fifth and sixth because if you are on top, guns will be aimed at you,” he said.

“But it’s okay. I really benefited from my being an Estrada.”

He will be registering his senatorial candidacy as “Estrada” before the Comelec, he added.

Maceda said he will get the votes of senior citizens.

“I am honored to be a candidate of this team that is led by the wisdom of senior citizens,” he said.

“Enrile is 88, Estrada is 75 and Binay is 69 but as you can see, UNA is stronger than ever.

“The plight of senior citizens is very important to us in UNA. We are taking the cue, of course, from Vice President Jojo Binay, who has led the campaign to uplift the lives of senior citizens even back when he was mayor of Makati.

“It is not enough that we give our senior citizens more avenues for recreational activities, but we need to also give them opportunities to contribute to nation-building, which at this age we are eager to do.

“When you have reached senior citizen status, what you want to do is give back to your community, to your country.”

Maceda said the social pension program should be increased to P3 billion to cover indigent senior citizens.

The allowance of P500 as part of social pension for senior citizens should be increased to P1,400, the amount given to CCT beneficiaries, he added.

NPC backs Legarda

The Nationalist People’s Coalition is fully committed to the candidacy of Legarda and supports her political advocacies and aspirations, the party’s spokesman said yesterday.

Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian issued the statement after UNA took Legarda as a guest senatorial candidate.

“We would like to stress that the NPC leadership and its members are steadfast in the candidacy of Senator Legarda, and we will continue to support her as we are confident of her victory in the coming elections,” he said.

“Her sterling and remarkable track record as a senator are the factors that made her as one of the top choices of other political coalitions such as the UNA.”

Gatchalian said the NPC is also fully supporting Legarda’s advocacies of saving the environment, championing the causes of women and children and protecting the interests of overseas Filipino workers and their families.

“She is consistently topping the pre-election surveys because the people believe in her advocacies, aside from her fine performance as a member of the Senate,” he said.

KBL to adopt bets

The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) will adopt senatorial candidates who share its political vision of addressing the economic problem facing the country.

Lawyer Oliver Lozano, KBL spokesman, told The STAR that most of those in their senatorial line-up will be guest candidates from the administration and opposition parties.

“We will relay our intention to adopt the selected candidates, but if they will decline then we will not include them,” he said.

Lozano said the KBL has already its tentative lineup of guest candidates but they will only make the announcement once the offer is accepted.

“The KBL platform is to use the million-dollar Marcos wealth for the economic recovery of the country,” he said.

Lozano said KBL chairman Vicente Millora will be issuing the certificate of nomination of candidates in the local and national levels.

He will file his candidacy first hour on Oct. 1, he added.

Lozano said the KBL’s participation in the 2013 midterm election is in preparation of the 2016 election.

In 2016, they expect to field candidates from president down to municipal councilors, he added.

Lozano said Sen. Ferdinand Marcos II, although he ran under the Nacionalista Party in the last election, remains the titular head of KBL.

“You cannot take away KBL from the Marcoses because it was founded by the late President Marcos,” he said. – With Helen Flores, Perseus Echeminada, Paolo Romero, Marvin Sy