MANILA, Philippines—Blood relations do not matter to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) when it comes to choosing its standard-bearer for the 2010 presidential election.
According to Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, the party founded by his father, tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, will make its choice between Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda, both party members.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Cojuangco’s cousin and a former NPC member, is not being considered.
“The blood being thicker than water [adage] does not concern the choices for president of our party. Our party has a position. We have two viable candidates; we believe they are ‘winnable,’ and we will be pushing them,” Cojuangco said Thursday at the Serye forum.
He said he respected Teodoro’s dreams, but added that the NPC had a dream of its own—to field either of the two senators, who, he pointed out, were hardworking, capable, with no political baggage, and having the best intentions for the country.
Teodoro had earlier announced his intention to seek the presidency. The ruling Lakas political party is considering him as one of its possible standard-bearers.
In suspense
Cojuangco said the NPC was in suspense because Senators Legarda and Escudero would have to make a hard decision when the deadline for filing the certificates of candidacy draws near.
The survey ratings will play a part in the party’s own choice for president and vice president, he said.
Asked about Teodoro’s departure from the NPC, Cojuangco said what he knew was only what he had heard or read in the media—that the defense secretary had resigned his membership or taken a leave of absence from the party.
Cojuangco said he was saddened by the departure of Teodoro, whom he described as a very capable person and an asset to the party.
But the NPC has other very capable members as well, he said.
He also said Teodoro could return to the party, “but not as a presidential candidate.”
“We are sure that we only have two candidates,” he said.
Teodoro, who also chairs the National Disaster Coordinating Council, was criticized for the lengthy infomercial on disaster preparedness that was aired during the widely watched boxing bout between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton.
To charges that he was trying to go high-profile in preparation for his 2010 campaign, Teodoro said public funds were not used in the production of the infomercial.
Who’ll slide down?
With Teodoro out of the picture, the NPC’s two presidential aspirants can now settle among themselves who will become the party’s standard-bearer.
Legarda told Philippine Daily Inquirer editors and reporters on Tuesday night that she was open to talks with Escudero to prevent the NPC from being polarized.
“We haven’t talked about who will slide down [to vice president]. We should talk among ourselves to spare the party from problems,” she said.
Asked if she needed Danding Cojuangco’s blessings to run for president, Legarda said: “Of course, that’s greatly needed, but in the end, it’s the whole party that will decide.”
She said that while other presidential aspirants were so engrossed in politicking this early, she wanted to focus more on legislation and programs that would uplift the lives of poor Filipinos.
“The presidency is a necessary platform to pursue my humanitarian work,” said Legarda, whose advocacy includes the environment and the rights of women and children.
She said the failure of opposition leaders to come together and select a common standard-bearer was the only thing hindering her from announcing her candidacy.
Contenders
The administration has only one popular presidential aspirant—Vice President Noli de Castro, who has consistently topped recent surveys on presidential preferences.
The rest of the aspirants are in the opposition—Legarda, Escudero and Sen. Manuel Villar (whose ratings are statistically the same in most of the surveys), former President Joseph Estrada and Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
Legarda was the running mate of the late opposition standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 presidential election. But the popular tandem lost the vote to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and De Castro.
“We in the opposition can’t run together,” Legarda said. “Five of us can’t run against each other. That would be foolish and disastrous for the political opposition. And if we want to serve our people, we have to give way to whoever has the vision, competence, integrity and ‘winnability.’”
Legarda has joined Estrada in some of his out-of-town sorties. She said the ousted leader had yet to make up his mind on making a second run for the presidency.
Survey ratings
Legarda said she was surprised that her ratings were high in the surveys despite the fact that she had no TV ads (except one for Earth Day last year) and that she had not been going around the country as frequently as the others.
A survey conducted by Pulse Asia in July 2008 showed that a Legarda-Escudero tandem would obtain 40 percent if the May 2010 election were held during that period.
In the same survey, the Villar-De Castro ticket got only 26 percent, while the tandem of Roxas and Sen. Francis Pangilinan got 13 percent.
