Nancy Binay. facebook fan page photo
MANILA, Philippines — United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial bet Nancy Binay on Wednesday extended a dinner invitation for the candidates of the Liberal Party-led (LP) coalition when the two groups launch their campaigns in Baguio City on Sunday.
Binay, the daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay, told reporters before the UNA motorcade in the fourth district of Quezon City rolled off that she wanted candidates of both LP and the opposition coalition to discuss possible solutions to the ongoing tension in Sabah over dinner.
LP and UNA are expected to square off in Baguio on Sunday, as they take their campaigns to the summer capital.
UNA secretary general and Navotas Representatives Toby Tiangco said that Vice President Jejomar Binay himself will be endorsing their senatorial candidates in Baguio City.
“This is, I guess, an invitation to have dinner with us–with LP. It is high time we discuss the Sabah problem,” she said.
“President Noynoy (Benigno Aquino III) will be there, my father will be there… If all of us can come up with suggestions for Sabah, why not talk about them over dinner,” she added.
Binay said she was grateful that she has consistently been included in the Magic 12 in election surveys but said that the results were would only serve as guide to improve their campaign strategy.
This was similar to Tiangco’s statement on Team PNoy candidates’ good showing in surveys. He said UNA is not worried by the latest results of Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations surveys.
Only four UNA candidates landed into the Magic 12 in the latest Pulse Asia survey, and only three of the opposition coalition’s bets made it to the top 12 in a recent SWS survey.
Tiangco was confident that the senatorial race was still “very close” even if many LP-led coalition candidates made it in the Magic 12 in recent surveys.
“If you look at it closely, look at the ranking, Team PNoy has eight while UNA has four (candidates in the Magic 12) but that 8-4 could turn out to be 6-6. It’s still a tight contest,” he said in a phone interview.
Tiangco said that former senators Richard Gordon and Juan Miguel Zubiri, currently within the 11-16 range, could still improve their ranking and land within the 11-12 places.
The UNA official said that they subscribed to the Pulse Asia survey but saw the results as mere reference to tweak their campaign tack.
UNA is currently making its rounds within Metro Manila this week, visiting the first and fourth districts of Quezon City, Pasay City and Muntinlupa City.
The coalition is expected to campaign for its senatorial bets this weekend in Pampanga and Baguio City.
Tiangco said that Vice President Jejomar Binay himself will be endorsing their senatorial candidates in Baguio City on Sunday.