MANILA, Philippines—Former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. wants to show Malacañang he is still a force to reckon with, planning to build a new rainbow coalition that would field a presidential candidate in 2010 to run against the administration’s bet.

He said many politicians were ready to switch sides and join him because anyone identified with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would see their political ambitions dashed.

“Anyone associated with Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is doomed to defeat. Public opinion is very strong,” De Venecia told reporters in an interview at the House of Representatives Wednesday evening.

He said he had begun talking to leaders of other political parties to get them to join the “powerful” coalition that would offer Filipinos a candidate who would foster change.

“We’ll create a new, enlarged powerful majority, elect the new president of the Philippines. That is what we’re working on,” he said.

De Venecia had formed rainbow coalitions, composed of disparate parties and politicians, in past congresses he had headed.

He said many politicians had told him they were ready to join him again.

‘Crossing the river’

“Many of them said to me that early next year—many have already begun—they are prepared to cross the river,” he said.

De Venecia is president emeritus of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, the current majority coalition whose de facto leader is President Arroyo. He was bestowed the title after being ousted from the speakership in February.

Administration allies in the House engineered his ouster after his son and namesake, Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, alleged anomalies in the government’s National Broadband Network deal with a Chinese corporation and implicated the President’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo.

He has since signed on in the impeachment complaint his son and others recently filed against President Arroyo.

Asked if Vice President Noli de Castro was someone the coalition would consider to be its standard-bearer since the latter did not have any party, he said: “This can all be subject to delicate negotiations.”

Meanwhile, someone who has declared his presidential candidacy for 2010 has said the administration’s bet would likely suffer the fate of John McCain, the Republican candidate who lost the US presidential race to Democrat Barack Obama last week.

Binay’s bid

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said Thursday that like the US polls, the Philippine elections will be about the record of the incumbent.

“Ms Arroyo’s anointed candidate will have to defend her record before a public that is dissatisfied with her performance,” Binay said, citing the latest Pulse Asia survey showing rising public disapproval of Arroyo.

Binay, president of the United Opposition, announced his intention to run for president on Tuesday.

He said the administration party Lakas had stretched the analogy when it compared former President Joseph Estrada to George W. Bush, the incumbent US president.

McCain, analysts have said, lost because of the unpopular policies of Bush, another Republican.

“Erap is not the incumbent, Ms Arroyo is. And like Bush, the public is very dissatisfied with her performance. If you go by the US elections, Ms Arroyo’s record will doom the chances of her anointed candidate,” Binay said.