Lakas vows to deliver 3-M votes to Senate choices

MANILA, Philippines - The political party of detained former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is capable of delivering more than three million votes to the 10 administration and opposition senatorial candidates it is endorsing, party stalwarts said yesterday.

The Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) said votes from the party would significantly affect the outcome of the May elections and may even negate survey results showing administration candidates leading the race.

Party president Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez earlier said the party is supporting independent candidate Bro. Eddie Villanueva, administration coalition bet Cynthia Villar and United Nationalist Alliance candidates Nancy Binay and former senator Richard Gordon.

Lakas had also declared support for the senatorial bid of administration candidates Aurora Rep. Edgardo Angara and Grace Poe as well as for UNA’s Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, San Juan City Rep. JV Ejercito Estrada, Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile and re-electionist Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

The names came from a secret balloting of members of the Lakas-CMD executive committee days ago. The remaining two slots were left to individual members to fill but Romualdez said the party’s leadership is strongly urging that they consider UNA candidates Margarita “Ting-Ting” Cojuangco, and former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, or Sen. Loren Legarda of Team PNoy.

“We have left to the local leaders at least two remaining slots at their discretion,” he said.

“We can deliver three to 3.5 million votes, especially in no-contest areas,” House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez told reporters.

With over 900 mostly local candidates, Lakas dominated the local elections in 2010. Many of them eventually moved to the administration after getting elected.

Suarez said many lawmakers and local officials who had declared loyalty to the administration are “secretly Lakas at heart.”

Suarez said administration and opposition candidates in Quezon are endorsing Team PNoy’s Bam Aquino and have already started printing sample ballots that include his name.

Sources said Lakas-CMD chairman Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. is pushing for the inclusion of Poe in the list.

Romualdez said the selection was done in a very democratic manner and that many of them were surprised by its outcome.

He said all of the 10 candidates accepted Lakas support, while others strongly lobbied to be included in the list, which was “a great reflection of the value of the endorsement of Lakas.”

He said the Commission on Elections has cited Lakas-CMD as the main opposition party.

Suarez said former president Arroyo, chairman emeritus of the party, had been informed  of the developments.

But he said the former leader, who is detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, is no longer involved in the affairs of the party. “She’s isolated and access to her is not easy,” Suarez said.