Aquino fires first campaign salvo

President Benigno Aquino III . GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

BONGABONG, Oriental Mindoro—The campaign season is definitely revving up. President Benigno Aquino III on Sunday turned a festivity for harvesting king crabs into an occasion for promoting allied political kingpins.

With one year to go before the midterm legislative and local elections, the President made time to participate in a fisheries harvesting festival here, where he endorsed Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and Joel Villanueva, chief of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), as two of his possible Senate bets.

He also lent his presence to the 57th birthday party of Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali Jr., his ally in the Liberal Party, at a nearby beach resort.

As if out on the hustings, Mr. Aquino gamely posed for photographers and television camera crews, smiling widely and hoisting traps bearing the province’s unique king crabs, together with Angara and Villanueva.

Mr. Aquino’s rival kingmakers, such as opposition leader and former President Joseph Estrada, began their own noisemaking more than a month ago.

The President’s first stop was a nearby fish farm where he participated in the harvest of king crabs and bangus, popular products of this island province.

He proceeded to lunch at Umali’s beach party where he took the stage to greet the governor. He then called on Angara and Villanueva to join him.

Prosecution spokesperson

“You see Sonny often on TV. He explains the things discussed by the (prosecution) lawyers in the impeachment (trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona) so that we can understand…because we all have to learn what is happening in the impeachment trial,” Mr. Aquino began.

Pointing out that Angara was a lawyer by profession, the President said that if the former lost in the impeachment case against Corona and he went back to the practice of law, he could end up receiving heat from those “not walking the right path in the judiciary.”

“That’s why don’t forget Sonny Angara. He really fought for us,” Mr. Aquino went on. Angara burst into a wide smile.

The President then pointed to Villanueva, whom he said was “fighting for the right of the people to earn a good living” since he heads Tesda.

“I will bring Joel back here next year and maybe when we see each other, you will remember Joel,” the President said. “I hope you will remember him. Give me someone who can help me.”

Joking that he had lost much hair since he assumed the presidency, Mr. Aquino said “If you don’t give someone to help me maybe I will be using floor wax on my head.”

Umali, in his brief speech, introduced Angara and Villanueva as possible senatorial candidates for the administration.

Both Villanueva and Angara welcomed President Aquino’s endorsement but insisted they had not yet made up their minds to run for senator.

Villanueva said he had to consult his party-list group Cibac as well as his family.

Angara, meanwhile, said there had been no talks or discussions about his running for senator.

He said while it was “an honor to be endorsed by the President,” he would wait for the results of surveys on the top senatorial candidates by late May or early June.