NPC, NP downplay talk of backing Poe

Sen. Cynthia Villar. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the Nacionalista Party (NP) said they had no knowledge that billionaires Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. and Manuel “Manny Villar” are forming a tactical alliance to support the likely candidacy of Sen. Grace Poe for President with Sen. Francis Escudero as her running mate in next year’s elections.

The NP is still waiting for its own members to decide on their plans for the 2016 elections before it can even start looking at potential candidates outside the party, Sen. Cynthia Villar on Thursday said in a statement.

According to the senator, the NP was not in talks with the NPC to form a partnership to support the potential team-up of Poe and Escudero.

The Inquirer on Thursday quoted Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao, the NPC president, as saying that the two parties were in the middle of discussions to firm up their support for a Poe-Escudero ticket.

Aggabao on Thursday issued a statement: “May I correct the impression re the news about NP-NPC tie-up. I am not privy to any talks between NP-NPC. I don’t even know if there is any such talk. What I have stated is Poe and Chiz are running as independent candidates and that any political party would be free to adopt them. The news today may create an unintended firestorm.”

Cojuangco formed the NPC to support his candidacy for President in 1992. The tycoon remains in control of the party. Manny Villar was the NP standard-bearer in the 2010 presidential election.

Surprised

Sen. Villar said she was unaware of the basis of Aggabao’s statement that the two parties were talking about forming an alliance to support Poe and Escudero.

“Former Senate President Manny Villar and I are as surprised as everyone else to learn about this announcement,” she said.

Report disputed

She said the NP was in the midst of consulting its members and had set a September deadline before it could officially announce its participation in the 2016 elections.

“To reiterate, we have to first determine the plans of our own members before we can express support for nonmembers. We are very proud of our party,” she said.

Another NP member, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, also disputed reports that the NP may support both Poe and Escudero.

Trillanes, in a television interview, said the NP may carry Poe, but he did not think it would back Escudero, since the party has its own members who plan to run for Vice President.

Trillanes himself has declared that he would run for Vice President, whether he has NP support or not.

Other NP members who may also seek higher office are Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Escudero is not an NP member, Trillanes pointed out.

Poe and Escudero are independent lawmakers. They do not belong to any political party. But they are part of the administration coalition, having been included in its senatorial slate in the 2013 elections. Aside from the NP and the NPC, other members of the coalition are the Liberal Party (LP) and PDP Laban.

Escudero resigned from the NPC before the 2010 elections.

No coalition breakup

Senate President Franklin Drilon said Thursday that the LP hoped to convince the other members of the administration coalition to support its chosen candidate and remain with the alliance.

Drilon, the LP vice chair, believes there would be no breakup of the coalition that had supported President Aquino.

“We impose party discipline on the Liberal Party but we have to convince our coalition partner on the candidate that will be anointed by the President,” he said at the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

There has been no commitment from the coalition parties that they will remain administration allies. It is up to them if they wish to do so, Drilon said.

“It is the President’s desire to preserve that coalition but the matter of staying in the coalition is a decision by our coalition partners,” he said.

Asked how the LP could preserve the partnership, he said it would be “by talking to them.”

Mar Roxas probably

The LP’s presumptive standard-bearer, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, could be expected to get Aquino’s endorsement, Drilon earlier said.

As for the running mate of the LP standard-bearer, Drilon said it would be up to the candidate for the presidency to decide on this.