BY WENDELL VIGILIA and RAYMOND AFRICA
FORMER speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is against a Duterte-Duterte tandem in the 2022 national elections, saying the country needs a new leader with a “different personality” instead of continuing the Dutertes’ brand of leadership.
This developed as Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, vice chairman of the opposition Liberal Party, rejected talks that Vice President Leni Robredo has given up a possible presidential candidacy next year because she has held talks with other possible presidential candidates.
“At this point, the Vice President is still looking at a possible presidential run next year. That assessment that she has given up a possible presidential bid is totally without basis and unfounded,” Drilon said in an interview with Senate media.
Alvarez, in an interview with ANC, said Filipinos do not need another “Duterte” in Malacañang, apparently referring to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who is eyeing to succeed her father.
Alvarez has jumped ship from the ruling PDP-Laban to the Partido Reporma of which he is now president.
“Para sa akin, siguro mas mainam na maghanap tayo ng panibagong lider, different personality. Dahil ang bigat ng problema ng bansa natin (To me, it is better for us to find another leader, different personality because the country has big problems),” Alvarez told ANC.
While Duterte-Carpio is open to running for the country’s top post, she has said she does not want to team up with her father supposedly because of the democratic principle of checks and balances in government.
The presidential daughter has not hidden her dislike for Alvarez, even calling him an “insecure fat sleaze” after the then speaker allegedly accused the mayor of being a member of the opposition for forming her regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
Alvarez was ousted as speaker of the 17th Congress in 2018 and was replaced with former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was elected as speaker leader allegedly through Duterte-Carpio’s intervention.
Alvarez resigned from the PDP-Laban in November last year to revive the Partido Reporma which is now pushing for the presidency of Sen. Panfilo Lacson and the vice presidency of Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
Alvarez said it does not make sense to him that President Duterte is planning to join the vice presidential race next year because he has been the country’s leader for the past five years.
As a “friend,” Alvarez said, he hopes the President will not run for vice president.
“Champion ka na eh, bakit ka pa susugal sa isang eleksyon. Kapag eleksyon hindi tayo nakakasiguro, ‘yung panalo mahirap siguruhin yun. Kung ikaw champion ka na, mas maganda you retire as champion (You’re already a champion, why gamble in another election? We can’t be sure in an election, it’s hard to secure a victory. If you’re already a champion, it is better you retire as a champion),” Alvarez said.
The President has been floating the idea of heeding his supporters’ call for him to seek the second highest position in the country next year.
NOT OUT YET
Drilon was asked to comment on the statement made by former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV that Robredo should not be holding exploratory talks with Lacson and Sen. Richard Gordon who is also eyeing the presidency.
“It is in that sense that I don’t agree with Senator Trillanes that we should not talk to other prospective candidates. I think we should have a big tent wherein we can attract all sectors who believe that the next administration should not be identified with the present administration. Therefore, a broader coalition is necessary,” Drilon said.
Lacson has confirmed he and Sotto met with Robredo but did not disclose details of the talk. Gordon also confirmed he met with Robredo.
Drilon said, “Talking to Senator Lacson and Senator Gordon is part of the effort of VP Leni to unite the opposition.”
Robredo has said her priority is to unite the opposition, and only after achieving this will she decide on whether to seek the presidency, run for a local government post, or retire from politics.
Drilon said whatever plans Robredo may have for next year, the best thing to do is still to unite the opposition.
“But the first objective is to make sure than an opposition candidate wins. Therefore, step one is to unite everybody. If she (Robredo) becomes the most viable candidate, she will ask others to come around and support her because the objective is to have a united front,” he said.
“That is why she has been conducting these meetings, needless to state the effort to look for a strongest opposition candidate includes the vice president,” he added.
Drilon said stopping election-related talks at this point when the pandemic is still plaguing the country is “not realistic.”
“Whether we like it or not, people are preparing for next year’s election without prejudice, of course,to the efforts on the pandemic,” Drilon said.
He said “now” is the right time to talks about politics since “the people will have to examine the candidates who would be in the best position to respond to the problems that we face today.”
EPIPHANY?
Alvarez, who was the leader of the House when it approved a proposed law imposing the death penalty on drug-related heinous crimes, joined those who condemn the administration’s bloody war on drugs, saying it was naturally painful for their families.
Alvarez said he could not speak against the war on drugs before because he was part of the administration “but now that I’m out, I can talk freely talk about what I believe would be good for the country.”
While he refused to grade the administration, he heavily criticized the administration for the way it is handling the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he was “disappointed.”
Alvarez even pointed to other small Asian countries like Vietnam which he said is managing the pandemic a lot better than the Philippines.
“Mahirap mag-grado dahil kasi kaniya-kaniyang pananaw ‘yan. Pero para sa akin, having supported the President noong tumakbo siya, ‘yung expectation ko malaki. Now natapos na ‘yung term I should be frank enough to say na I am disappointed (It’s difficult to grade it because we have different opinions there but for me, having supported the President when he ran, my expectations were high. Now, I should be frank enough to say that I am disappointed),” he said.
