LAKAS TO PICK GMA AS 2004 BET NEXT WEEK; THE ALTERNATE

MANILA, September 29, 2003  (STAR) By Mayen Jaymalin  - The ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats is all set to declare President Arroyo as its presidential standard-bearer in next year’s elections, Lakas executive director and palace political liaison officer Joey Rufino said yesterday.

"Lakas is holding the national directorate meeting on Oct. 7 and it is highly probable that most, if not all of the members, would nominate the President as the party choice," Rufino said.

He said this is meant to influence her into reconsidering her decision to withdraw from the presidential race next year.

But if Mrs. Arroyo sticks to her decision not to run, Rufino said the party has an "alternative" presidential candidate in place.

Rufino, however, declined to name the party’s alternative candidate.

"We would be discussing the matter on Oct. 7," he said.

Last week, Mrs. Arroyo insisted she has not changed her decision not to run in next year’s polls even as her allies claimed she is now "rethinking" the decision.

On Dec. 30 last year, Mrs. Arroyo took everyone by surprise when she announced her withdrawal from the 2004 presidential elections.

She said she wanted to focus on implementing her administration’s economic development programs for the poor.

Then last week, Mrs. Arroyo said she is seeking "divine guidance" saying she would wait for the results of the Oct. 7 party meeting before announcing her plans when she gets back from her official trips abroad.

While at the Vatican, Mrs. Arroyo evaded questions on whether divine guidance had helped her to finally decide on her political plans for next year.

After emerging from a 10-minute audience with Pope John Paul II, Mrs. Arroyo was asked if she got some "discernment" of God’s plan for her in 2004.

"That’s not the way how discernment works," the President said.

"I know discernment is as far as my own practice is concerned because I’ve done that under His guidance and in fact, the Bible. The Gospel says the Epistles tell us always to seek guidance from the Lord to guide you."

Mrs. Arroyo, a graduate of Catholic-run Assumption College, said she learned the spiritual practice of discernment from Ateneo priest Fr. Thomas Green.

"When I was not yet the president, I used to do that but you don’t have to do it under the guidance of a priest because discernment is a spiritual practice," she said.

But Mrs. Arroyo virtually gave a glimpse of her future plans. She said her private audience with the Pope strengthened her conviction about being a public servant like what her late father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, had taught her.

"My visit to the Pope bolsters my conviction that in my public policy, we should continue doing the priorities that my father taught me (as) a public servant."

"The priorities are God first, then country and family life. In other words the public servant’s family should be the last priority for that public servant," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The President said she used her "discernment" in all her decisions she made in her life, especially those concerning her values as a leader of largely Catholic nation.

She still refused, however, to answer questions from the Philippine media delegation at the Vatican on whether her discernment will help her in announcing her political plans for next year.

Lakas party co-chairman Speaker Jose de Venecia earlier stressed the likelihood that Lakas will proclaim Mrs. Arroyo as the standard-bearer, notwithstanding a final announcement on her political plans. Mrs. Arroyo co-chairs the Lakas party with De Venecia.

He said the 400-member Lakas national directorate "will most likely make a decision" on the ruling party’s presidential candidate, the running mate and the senatorial ticket.

De Venecia earlier pointed out the possibility that party leaders would decide to appeal to Mrs. Arroyo to reconsider her Dec. 30 decision announcing her withdrawal from the 2004 presidential race, and instead seek a full six-year term "in the name of national interest."

The alternate

On reports that the opposition is on the verge of persuading the Nationalist People’s Coalition to break away, Rufino expressed hopes the NPC would remain with the ruling coalition.

Rufino said Lakas is expected to assess its relations with NPC amid reports that they are set to join the united opposition.

A big number of Lakas party members joined their NPC colleagues in pushing for the nomination of NPC founder and businessman Eduardo Cojuangco as the "unity candidate."

Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras, one of the Lakas members supporting Cojuangco, earlier said Cojuangco is likely to be adopted as standard-bearer for the administration with Lakas stalwart Sen. Loren Legarda as running mate.

Lakas leaders noted the differences within the party which have resulted to what they called internal problems.

Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Lakas party president, said last week a split within Lakas was "virtually a reality" but stressed party leaders are exerting efforts to patch up their differences.

Guingona expressed the party’s resolve to stick together after NPC president emeritus Ernesto Maceda declared Cojuangco was not hoping to run under the ruling coalition banner and they are open to the unification efforts with the mainstream opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) headed by Sen. Edgardo Angara.

Maceda said Cojuangco had always planned to run as an opposition candidate although the NPC is a member of the "Sunshine Coalition" at the House of Representatives headed by De Venecia.

Angara proposed on Friday that all opposition parties unite behind one presidential-vice presidential ticket next year.

Four of the biggest political parties - the NPC, Partido ng Masang Pilipino, PDP-Laban, and one of the oldest political parties in the country, Liberal Party (LP) – have agreed to unite under the LDP banner to come out with a common candidate to run against Mrs. Arroyo, whom they believed will run in next year’s elections.

Maceda responded by saying the NPC was ready to create a panel to help forge the coalition and that the panel members will be announced during an executive council meeting to be presided by Cojuangco himself. - With Marichu Villanueva