Trillanes warns of opposition Senate in 2013

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch ally of President Benigno Aquino III, on Tuesday warned of an “opposition Senate” after the 2013 midterm elections because of the early preparations being made by the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.

UNA, a coalition of Binay’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and former President Joseph Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), has beaten to the draw the administration coalition led by the Liberal Party (LP), said the senator when interviewed by phone.

Reading between the lines, the senator said that what Binay was doing—fielding his own senatorial slate in 2013—was finding a way to “part ways with the President.”

“In fact, what he’s doing now is an affront to the President because if you’re really allied with the President, why are you coming out with your own slate? If you’re allies, then you work on a coalition slate with the President. You don’t jump the gun on the President and field your own slate. Practically, it’s a slap on the face of the President,” said Trillanes.

He theorized that Binay and Estrada were just trying to “sugarcoat their own agenda but that’s the fact of the moment.”

“The fact that they (LP leadership) have not come up with a senatorial slate only means that they haven’t prepared for 2013,” said Trillanes, pointing out that UNA had already gotten on board those who topped the recent surveys on senatorial preferences.

The senator, who ranked No. 7 in the latest Pulse Asia survey, claimed that the Vice President was already burning his bridges with the President this early ostensibly because of Binay’s presidential ambitions.

‘Aquino won’t endorse Binay’

“The (political) insiders know for a fact that he (Binay) won’t be endorsed by President Aquino (in 2016), and this is precisely why he’s coming up with his own (senatorial) slate which will run directly against the slate of the President,” said Trillanes.

Without naming names, Trillanes told LP leaders as early as last year about the wisdom of early preparations for the midterm elections.

“If they are serious to have at least  a friendly Senate, at least not hostile, then they should have worked on (coalition-building) as early as possible because the other party is already working on it,” he said.

Trillanes had also brought this matter up with the President.

Not sleeping on job

Sought for comment by phone, LP stalwart and Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad Jr. denied that political operators of the administration were caught sleeping on the job.

Abad, the campaign manager of Mr. Aquino in 2010, said the administration coalition led by the ruling party would not take UNA’s moves sitting down, but stressed that it was too early to tell if the combined forces of Binay and Estrada could prevail over Aquino’s endorsement for the midterm polls.

“Certainly, P-Noy’s (President Aquino’s) endorsement will count because of his popularity and the fact that he will still have three more years as President,” Abad said.

LP short list

Asked about the personalities who would form the senatorial slate of the administration coalition, Abad ticked off the following names: Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, Joel Villanueva of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, former Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca, reelectionist Senators Trillanes and Alan Peter Cayetano, former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Customs Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim, Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon, and some of those mentioned in the UNA slate like reelectionist Senators Francis Escudero and Aquilino Pimentel III.

“Talks have been initiated but nothing is final yet. And there are also talks scheduled with those not on the list,” said Abad, denying that LP had not taken Trillanes’ advice seriously.

“We, in fact, took his advice and started talking to even those on the UNA slate. So we are aware that for some there are no firm commitments yet. While it is true that a number on the UNA list are topping the surveys, other aspirants have not declared themselves candidates or have not been going around,” said the budget chief.

Media blitz

“Also, the senatorial race is media intensive and as in the past, the last six positions (in the  Magic 12) are heavily influenced by intensive media exposure in the last phases of the campaign. Finally, since this is a midterm election, administration candidates will benefit from the President’s endorsement, which this time will significantly count considering the President’s continuing popularity,” he added.

Abad said that a full-time campaign manager would be designated for the administration coalition’s Senate slate and that a small committee was vetting the list and engaging in talks with prospective candidates.

“Many more things can happen—alignments, realignments, mergers and coalitions. But the lineups have to be firmed up by October—about six months to go—the period for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs),” said Abad.

This early, the filing of COCs is vexing to Trillanes.

6 months away

“People are looking at May 2013, which is a year away, but the filing of candidacy is only six months away. If you’re planning to win the majority (of the Senate) in 2013, you don’t plan late or you don’t just give yourself five months, but at least a year and a half if you want to make sure that you will win the majority.” the senator said. “So the fact they (LP) still have to form a coalition slate, it means they’re not interested in getting the majority.”

Even though most of the members of the Senate are not with the ruling party “most are allied with the President and would want to keep it that way,” Trillanes said.

Asked about the need to maintain a friendly Senate in the last three years of the Aquino administration, Trillanes said: “At least you can have a working relationship with the Senate, so that you can push your legislative agenda. Remember, after 2013 things will change—Vice President Binay will start making his moves. He knows for a fact that he will not be endorsed by the President, so he will have to distance himself from the President.”