4 Liberal Party bets running for Senate in 2013

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad should also be one of the LP’s senatorial bets, according to President Aquino.

President Benigno Aquino III expects three of his Liberal Party mates who lost in the 2010 senatorial race to make another run for the upper chamber in 2013.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel anchor Lynda Jumilla, Mr. Aquino said he would be disappointed if former Akbayan party-list Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel did not make another attempt at a Senate seat.

He said the same for Customs Commissioner Ruffino Biazon and Deputy Customs Commissioner Danilo Lim.

This time around, Mr. Aquino said, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad should also be one of the LP’s senatorial bets.

The President said that while the slate would include candidates from parties in a coalition with the LP, it would be difficult to include bets from Vice President Jejomar Binay’s PDP-Laban, even if Binay was an administration ally.

Binay ran in 2010 against LP vice presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II whom he handily defeated.

Mr. Aquino said he kidded Abad that in 2013 he would be the budget secretary’s campaign manager.

Abad, a ranking LP official, was Mr. Aquino’s campaign manager in 2007 when the latter ran for senator and again in 2010 when he ran for president.

To get back at Abad, the President said that as his manager he would schedule 22 engagements a day for Abad, a schedule that would be more hectic than the 20-event day the budget secretary gave Mr. Aquino in 2010.