Estrada rules out super coalition

Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada on Thursday ruled out the super coalition proposed between the Liberal Party and the United Nationalist Alliance.

“Shelved na yun (the proposed super coalition) has been shelved), ” Estrada told reporters after emerging from the regular meeting of members of UNA at the Coconut Palace.

If there’s anything that could save the super coalition, Estrada said: “Well it depends if President Noynoy (Benigno Aquino III) will agree.”

The former president was also quick to defend his son San Juan Representative JV Ejercito from criticisms for bringing up the idea of an LP-UNA coalition by saying that the latter’s proposition was done in good faith.

In a press conference, Ejercito clarified that what he said was that the super coalition was “ideal but impossible to happen.”

“What I really said was that would have been ideal for the President, for President Aquino to have a super coalition. But I also said that’s easier said than done, meaning that it’s impossible to happen because the Liberal Party has already forged a coalition and with UNA we have already announced some of our candidates,” Ejercito said.

Both Estrada and Ejercito deplored the arrogance of Malacañang’s spokesman and some LP’s stalwarts in dismissing the proposed coalition.

“One of the issues that cropped up was the reaction of various individuals and party leaders. The reactions of LP leaders were marked by arrogance and tend to show that their agenda for 2016 is more important than how they can help the President,” Ejercito said.

Estrada, for his part, said that he believes that Edwin Lacierda’s remarks were insulting for UNA.

“I believe so because the proposition was done in good faith, why will he immediately be very arrogant as if he knows…as if he’s a veteran politician? I don’t know. This is the first time, it’s only during the time of President [Aquino] that I saw his face,” Estrada said referring to Lacierda.

For his part, Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile said that a super coalition between UNA and LP is “unrealistic.”

Speaking in a media forum, Enrile said that the issue on a possible merger of the two political groups is an “out of the blue opinion” of certain personalities.

“That is unrealistic. How can you marry the ticket of LP with the ticket of UNA where the ticket of UNA will contain 12 candidates and in the same manner, the ticket of LP will contain 12 names? Who’ll be bumped off from LP and UNA? That will not happen,” Enrile told reporters.

He added that Ejercito’s earlier statement on a possible merger is his personal opinion.

“That is not the position of the Executive Committee,” Enrile said.

However, when asked if Ejercito’s statement has placed UNA in a compromising position, Enrile said it did not.

“We are free to talk, whether our talk is hot air or good air or all air,” Enrile said.

Also on Thursday, UNA failed to finalize its senatorial slate, leaving five positions still vacant. The coalition said it will choose five from about eight aspirants.

The seven senators for UNA so far are Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Gwendolyn Garcia, Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay, Jack Enrile, Gregorio Honasan, Jose “Joey” de Venecia and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

When asked to name the eight aspirants, Estrada just said, “Secret.”

But when pressed by reporters, he mentioned the names of Lourdes “Nancy” Binay, Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, former Senator Ernesto Maceda, and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. With a report from Katherine Evangelista