Opposition reserves slots for Sereno, Roxas in Senate slate for 2019
While they remain undecided about the 2019 elections, ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas have reserved slots in the opposition’s Senate slate in the 2019 elections.
“We are reserving a slot for Secretary Mar Roxas,” Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said in an interview at the Senate on Wednesday.
“We believe that he would be an asset for the Senate opposition. So tinutulak siya na tumakbo (So we are pushing him to run),” he added.
Roxas, in an interview in Paranaque City on Tuesday, dodged questions about his political plans next year.
READ: Mar Roxas parries questions on plans for 2019 nat’l elections
Until now also, Trillanes said, the opposition has not received a “definitive” answer from Sereno yet.
READ: Robredo: Sereno has yet to make up mind on Senate run
“Hinahayaan natin siyang dumaan sa kanyang sariling decision-making process (We are allowing her to go through the motions of her decision-making process). But we are also reserving a slot for her,” the senator said.
With the opposition now “united,” Trillanes said they would present to the public in the coming weeks their candidates for the upcoming midterm elections.
The opposition, he said, will work “triple time” to ensure that their candidates would win in the elections.
“Ang aming target ay makuha ng oposisyon ang Senado (Our target is to get the opposition at the Senate),” the senator said.
Aside from Roxas and Sereno, several names have been mentioned earlier as possible opposition senatorial bets, including incumbent Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino, Magdalo Partylist Representative Gary Alejano, former Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, human-rights lawyer Chel Diokno, Barry Gutierrez of Akbayan Partylist group, and singer-actress Agot Isidro. /ee
