Opposition confident of chances in ‘22 polls
THE opposition is not worried about its chances in next year’s national elections even if the administration is already in the thick of preparations, consolidating its forces early to ensure its grip on power.
Former Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat, the Liberal Party’s vice president for internal affairs, said the administration is now fragmented, especially that Sen. Manny Pacquiao is starting to break away from his alliance with President Duterte to pursue his presidential bid.
“Besides, I believe it’s the other way around. The admin is more fractured than what they’d like to portray,” he said in an interview. “The administration party PDP-Laban is even more divided, with Pacquiao pushing his presidential bid despite the Sara-Bong Go bloc’s plotting.”
He was referring to presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, and the President’s long-time aide, now Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go. Sara is being urged by her supporters to run for president while the President is being pushed by a faction in the PDP-Laban to run for vice president.
Pacquiao is known to be eyeing the presidency but has not made any official declaration.
Baguilat said the administration has been floating so many tandems: Sara-Gibo (Duterte-Carpio for president and former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro for vice president), Bong Go-Duterte, and even a father-daughter Sara-Digong tandem.
The presidential daughter has said a Duterte-Duterte tandem would not look good before the public, citing the principle of checks and balances in a democracy.
Baguilat said there is also former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who is also eyeing a higher office in 2022 under the administration ticket.
This is why, he said, it is possible that the administration will have three to four candidates or slates aligned with it in 2022, which would surely divide the votes for their ticket.
The PDP-Laban has announced it could adopt a presidential candidate who is not a member of the party, like Duterte-Carpio, since it is not unusual for political parties to support individuals from other parties.
The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) of former President and Manila mayor Joseph Estrada and the People’s Reform Party (PRP) of the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago have already thrown their support behind the presumptive presidential bid of the presidential daughter who is a member if the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
The two parties made the announcement after the Lakas-CMD led by House majority leader Martin Romualdez and the National Unity Party (NUP) of businessman Enrique Razon vowed to renew their alliance with the HNP in the run-up to the 2022 national elections.
Baguilat said the 2022 polls will be a completely different story from the 2019 midterm elections, when all of the opposition’s senatorial candidates were defeated, including then re-electionist senator Bam Aquino and former interior secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas.
“We are better prepared this time than in 2019. Having reoriented our organizing into a more grassroots-oriented, people-driven movement, sa tingin namin mas marami ang nahahatak namin na sumanib puwersa ngayon (we believe we’ll be able to convince many to join our forces now) unlike in 2019 when we were limited to just the “Dilawan” group.
Ngayon, mas malawak na (it’s wider),” he said.
While Vice President Leni Robredo has yet to decide whether she will join the president race, the LP has been working on her main platforms, getting inputs from the chapters and other sectors, Baguilat said.
“As for VPL (Vice President Leni) I am confident she has the political savvy to know when is the right time to declare she’s running. All the things we’re doing now is to make sure bahagi kami ng isang nagkaisang puwersa (that we’re part of a unified force) by the time she decides,” he said.
Besides, Baguilat said there is no need for Robredo to rush and declare that she is joining the race when no other candidate aside from former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has done so.
Trillanes has said he would give way to Robredo if she eventually decides to seek the presidency.
“Meron na ba kandidato na nag declare na tatakbo sila? Wala. Nagpapakiramdaman lahat (Has anyone declared an intention to run? None. Everyone is feeling each other out. We will only know who is sure towards September I think,” he said.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the President is still undecided on the vice presidential run, even if he said Wednesday that he was “somewhat sold on the idea,” the latest variation from his statement last month that seeking the vice presidency is “not a bad idea.”
Roque also said the government is not getting back at Pacquiao when the President mentioned the tax evasion case against Pacquiao, and urged him to settle the issue. He said tax evasion is a form of corruption and Pacquiao as a public servant should settle his dues.
Prior to his departure for the United States last Sunday, Pacquiao alleged that there is corruption in the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Energy.
Duterte has dared Pacquiao to present a list of agencies and personalities in government who are allegedly involved in corruption and to back it up with evidence.
The tax evasion case was mentioned Wednesday during the airing on PTV-4 of a pre-recorded meeting between Duterte and some PDP-Laban members, during which his supporters pushed their call for him to run for vice president and Go for president.
Roque, justifying the use of the government media agency for the political event, said it is PTV’s function to present newsworthy events to the public.
Former Rep. Jacinto Paras, newly-appointed presidential adviser on political affairs, berated Trillanes during his first briefing yesterday in Malacañang, calling the former senator a “nobody,” a “non-entity,” and a “fool.”
He also said Trillanes was “the most corrupt senator that ever lived in this country” because of his hiring of alleged overpriced consultants including a sibling.
Paras described as “baseless” Trillanes’ allegations that the President and Go plundered P6 billion through government projects in the Davao region, which were awarded Go’s father and brother in law, when Duterte was still mayor of Davao City.
Paras also belittled Trillanes’ chances in the 2022 elections, saying he won as senator only out of luck. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
