Liberal Party’s mixed bag

Coinciding with the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy, President Benigno S. Aquino III formally announces today the senatorial slate of the Liberal Party (LP) led coalition.

Only three candidates, Jamby Madrigal, Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. and presidential cousin Paulo Benigno “Bam” Aquino belong to the LP.

Three reelectionist senators, Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV and former Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar, belong to the Nacionalista Party. Two are independents, reelectionist Sen. Francis Escudero and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Chairman Grace Poe-Llamanzares.  The rest belong to different parties: Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (LDP), Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III (PDP-Laban), and former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros.

Another re-electionist, Sen. Loren Legarda, who is being invited as guest candidate, is expected to complete the lineup but only if she commits to campaign exclusively for the administration ticket. She has yet to make a decision after LP president Mar Roxas forbade the inclusion of “common” candidates because such a candidate, in Mar’s view, does not enhance the administration platform.

I’m not sure if the ultimatum would shove Loren aside, because once she is voted number one senator in 2013 (she is currently on top of popularity surveys), she will be a formidable challenge to Roxas and even Binay come 2016. Mar has a point. The groundwork for the 2016 presidential contest is the 2013 elections and Legarda needs to draw the line now.

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Meanwhile, the local races are getting interesting after original LP members find themselves outside the kulambo, that is, supplanted by the very forces who worked against Aquino in 2010.

The LP origs can only shake their heads but on the other hand, they cannot claim to be clueless as not to anticipate how the party in power resolves local political conflicts.  National party leaders usually keep their hands off local conflicts and would rather let election results determine the battle. I’m not surprised if politicians who helped the LP in 2010 feel betrayed and find the elections a futile process.

For example, the LP origs in Cebu’s first district were practically beaten by Rep. Eduardo Gullas after the administration’s presumptive congressional candidate, Abe Canoy of San Fernando town announced that he is no longer going to run for the position. This, after Eddiegul successfully sewed up an alliance between his local party Alayon and the LP.

With Eddiegul joining the administration coalition, he has overcome the only significant hurdle to his plans for 2013, that is, to be perceived as working against the interest of a sitting President. The LP-led coalition can now rest easy, knowing that the most influential politician in the district is on their side.

The arrangement in the second district is something else after LP candidate for governor, Hilario “Junjun” Davide III announced the party will support Provincial Board member Willie Caminero for Congress. Caminero used to be a member of Gov. Gwen Garcia’s One Cebu and is sometimes described in news reports as the bagman of the Garcia party.

Caminero will run against reelectionist Pablo Garcia, father of Gov. Gwen, a scenario that, as expected, has spawned a lot of intrigues. Original LP stalwart Dr. Lou Kintanar will contest the district race. Pundits are saying that in a three-cornered fight, wherein two administration candidates will be clawing at each other, Noy Pabling stands a better chance of winning.

Actually, the kamada is confusing because in the Lower House, Garcia heads the National Unity Party. The NUP is made up of Lakas NUCD and Kampi, parties that are identified with former president Gloria Arroyo.  After Aquino won the 2010 presidential elections, the pro-Arroyo parties banded to form NUP and rallied behind the speakership bid of Feliciano Belmonte.

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If plans gel, the congressional contest in Cebu’s fourth district will be a rematch between incumbent Rep. Benhur Salimbangon and former Bogo mayor Celestino “Tining” Martinez III.

Rep. Salimbangon is identified with former President Joseph Estrada but in the Lower House, the lawmaker is part of the NUP.  In that sense, Benhur is also P-Noy’s ally.

Project billboards identifying his projects around the district feature the smiling faces of the President and the congressman as if to remind constituents that he is supportive of the popular Chief Executive. I’m not surprised that despite being LP origs, the Martinezes are said to be feeling insecure nowadays.

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The phenomenon of political coalitions is a reality in PH politics but hard to swallow for LP originals that even Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte needed to find the right spin to explain if the shifting political alliances is still in keeping with the righteous path (daang matuwid) that Pres. Aquino espouses.  Had Valte have any experience in backroom politics, maybe she would have offered some insights. True to form, she addressed the question by restating the tricky problem:  “The President will choose candidates who would help him in his reform agenda – whether from LP or not.”