Estrada-Binay alliance still solid sans Pimentel – Enrile

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Thursday said that despite Senator Aquilino Pimentel III’s decision to resign from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) this will not affect the coalition between the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Laban.

“I’m sorry about that but it does not affect the coalition,” Enrile told reporters in a chance interview.

According to Enrile, there are many candidates who are applying for a slot in the UNA Coalition’s senatorial slate.

“Ang nagkasunduan ay yung dalawang partido, hindi indibidwal. Naka-koalisyon pa rin yung party niya sa amin. Ayaw lang niya na dadalhin yung trademark na UNA (The agreement is between the two parties, not between individuals. His party is still part of the coalition. He doesn’t want to carry the UNA trademark anymore),” Enrile added.

Enrile added that he is regretful of Pimentel’s decision to leave the alliance since he is already in office and has a good track record as a Senator.

“We wanted him to stay, but as we said previously, we cannot force him to stay. He feels that he could not live with some of us,” Enrile said referring to Pimentels’ decision to leave UNA after the coalition announced that it would field former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri. Pimentel lost in the 2007 elections due to an electoral fraud. Pimentel claimed Zubiri benefitted the rigged polls.

Nevertheless, Enrile said that though Pimentel can no longer use the trademark of the UNA coalition when he runs in 2013, he will still endorse the latter.

Meanwhile, when asked if Pimentel made the wrong decision in leaving the UNA coalition, Enrile said: “We see as we go along. The election will tell whether the decision was correct.”