Legarda asked to clarify status with UNA

Senator Loren Legarda INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nationalist Alliance is asking re-reelectionist Senator Loren Legarda to make up her mind whether she will join the party as an adopted candidate or join President Benigno Aquino III’s coalition ticket in the 2013 elections.

UNA secretary-general and Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco said that UNA adopted Legarda, the frontrunner in the recent surveys of senatorial candidates,  primarily as a guest candidate last September 24 and that she reached her decision to run under the Aquino coalition less than a week later when she met the President in Malacañang.

Tiangco said that Legarda’s case differed from the status of Senator Francis Escudero and  Grace Poe Llamanzares who have been adopted by UNA as guest candidates that allowed them to share their campaign time with the Aquino ticket. “We relaxed our policy [that all candidates should only campaign with UNA] for Grace because of her special ties with former President (Joseph) Estrada being the daughter of the late Fernando Poe Jr. Since we accommodated Grace, we had to do the same for Chiz since he joined us later. Senator Loren, however, was accepted on different terms ahead of both,” said Tiangco in a phone interview.

“She (Legarda) should choose whether she would run under UNA or under LP because she cannot run under both umbrellas,” said Tiangco who noted that Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, a Nationalist People’s Coalition member just like Legarda, had decided to run only on the UNA ticket.

In a phone interview, Legarda shrugged off Tiangco’s demands to clarify her status with UNA.

“I respect them and thank them. They are my friends. I am NPC since 2007. I thank UNA for having me as guest candidate. I thank the President for inviting me to be with the LP-NPC coalition under the partnership agreement. I have been transparent with everyone from the start. I am grateful for the endorsements,” said Legarda who maintained that she should be treated equally as their other two guest candidates — Poe and Escudero.

Previously, UNA senatorial bet and San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito said that some of UNA’s candidates were complaining that the UNA leaders had been lenient towards guest candidates who have agreed to not to join UNA’s events while committing to appear in the sorties of the LP-led coalition. On the first day of filing of candidacy last week, Legarda, Poe and Escudero appeared with the administration slate at the Club Filipino while they snubbed UNA’s grand event at the Manila Hotel.