Ramon Magsaysay files candidacy for senator

Former senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. Fat Reyes/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Former senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. filed his certificate of candidacy for senator at the Commission on Elections main office in Intramuros, Manila Friday.

Clad in yellow Liberal party shirts, Magsaysay and members of his family arrived at around 8:30 am.

He is part of Liberal party-led senatorial line-up for the 2013 polls.

No rift with kin

In endorsing his party-mate, LP stalwart Senator Franklin Drilon had earlier made remarks that their party was fielding the “real Magsaysay.”

Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay is a candidate for senator of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). She is the daughter-in-law of former Zambales governor Vicente Magsaysay, Jun Magsaysay’s cousin.

When pressed by reporters about his relationship with members of the family, Magsaysay said “that everything was good.”

“If there is somebody from the family who is running on the other side, it’s her choice. I have no problems with that,” Magsaysay said.

He also clarified that the speculations that he was fielded by the LP to go against the congresswoman was “baseless.”

“The speculations that I came back so the other person will not win is baseless,” he said. He added that it would be up to the voters to decide.

He said that he was committed to supporting the entire LP slate.

Magsaysay, who also served as senator from 1995 to 2007, said that he was coming back as a “prudent father.”

Magsaysay said he would advocate for improvement of economic programs and job employment opportunities, and prudent use of public funds.

He will be joining Paolo Benigno Aquino, the President’s cousin; former senator Jamby Madrigal; re-electionist senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Aquilino Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes IV; Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara; former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar; Akbayan party-list member Risa Hontiveros; and censors chief Grace Poe Llamanzares as candidates of the LP-led slate.

The other candidates of the LP-led senate slate come from the Nacionalista Party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, and Akbayan.