Toots Ople agrees to be guest candidate in UNA Senate slate

MIGRANT workers’ advocate Susan “Toots” Ople, daughter of the late Sen. Blas Ople, rounded up the United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) senatorial roster Wednesday, when she agreed to be a guest candidate under the “BinGo” tandem of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II.

The lone senatorial bet of the Nacionalista Party (NP), Ople said she accepted UNA’s invitation after meeting with Honasan, UNA’s vice presidential bet, on Monday. The former rebel leader was a colleague of her father during his time at the Senate.

“Kuya Greg gave me advice and I felt his sincerity all throughout our conversation. He also understands and appreciates my predicament because the NP has not just one, but three members vying for the vice presidency,” said Ople, referring to her party mates Alan Peter Cayetano, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Antonio Trillanes IV.

“[Honasan] emphasized that the offer came without any conditions from UNA. We agreed to collaborate on certain issues, particularly on global security concerns that now have an impact on the lives of our overseas Filipino workers,” Ople said.

Ople is the sixth guest candidate on the UNA roster, joining Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, former Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Panfilo Lacson and Richard Gordon, and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

The other half of the roster are UNA members: boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, Parañaque Councilor Alma Moreno, lawyer Allan Montaño, former Special Action Force chief Getulio Napeñas, broadcaster Rey Langit, and Princess Jacel Kiram, eldest child of the late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.

Ople said she decided to join the senatorial race on the same faith her father held when it came to politics.

“I am in this race because I have ideas to share and concerns to raise. My father had always waged his political campaigns based on issues, not personalities. I shall endeavor to do the same, no matter how difficult that may be given the weird political environment that we are in,” she said in a statement.

Ople, recognized by the US State Department in 2013 for her fight against human trafficking, said she would carry the banner of labor rights in her campaign.

She cited how “more than a thousand Filipino women” remained in conflict-afflicted Syria, for instance.

“Lives of Filipinos overseas hang in the balance in conflict-affected countries such as Libya, Syria and Iraq. Let’s keep tabs on them, and beef up resources for our embassies to be able to protect them,” Ople said.