COJUANGCOS STAY NEUTRAL, NO SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL BET
[PHOTOS
AT LEFT - Eduardo 'Danding' Cojuangco, Jr. and below -
Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco]
MANILA, MARCH 17, 2010 (STAR) By Jess Diaz - Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) founder and billionaire businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. and his son, Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, reiterated they would remain neutral and not support a presidential candidate in the May 10 elections.
The Cojuangcos said they support only the NPC vice-presidential candidate, Sen. Loren Legarda.
“My
father and I stand behind NPC’s neutral stance,” he said in a text message sent
to The STAR.
Earlier, Rep. Cojuangco denied that NPC has entered into an alliance with Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Manny Villar and his party.
He said their party was sticking to its neutral stance when it comes to the position of president that is at stake in the coming elections.
Cojuangco Jr. is the NPC’s chief financier, whom party members still regard as their principal leader.
In a statement, Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian, NPC spokesman, said their party has fielded and is supporting only Senator Legarda, the running mate of Senator Villar.
Gatchalian made the clarification in the wake of reports of the supposed coalition of NP and NPC, and that the latter is now supporting Villar.
He quoted Rep. Cojuangco, who heads the NPC bloc in the House of Representatives, as saying their party’s support is limited to Legarda.
“We may not have a presidential aspirant in these elections, but the NPC has not wavered in its commitment to support Sen. Legarda,” Gatchalian further quoted Cojuangco as declaring.
Gatchalian denied reports that some NPC leaders have dropped Legarda in favor of Sen. Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party.
Rep. Cojuangco earlier said his party chairman, former Isabela Rep. Faustino Dy Jr., had “acted unilaterally” in coalescing with Villar “without consulting with the rest of the party.”
“Let me stress: I do not agree with what Jun Dy has done, if in fact he has done so. And my father and I object to such an arrangement as it now does no good to be partisan,” he said.
He stressed that a coalition with Villar “will not help our local candidates; in fact, it will be very disruptive to them.”
Other members of the Cojuangco party said they would support their respective presidential candidates despite Dy’s supposed coalition with Villar.
The group of former South Cotabato Rep. Lou Antonino, her daughter incumbent Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio and Gov. Daisy Fuentes said they would continue to support the Liberal Party team of Aquino and Roxas.
Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao said he and several other NPC members are committed to Gilbert Teodoro of the administration Lakas-Kampi.
Other NPC congressmen backing Teodoro’s presidential candidacy include Conrado Estrella III of Pangasinan, Elias Bulut of Kalinga-Apayao, Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur, and George Arnaiz of Negros Oriental.
Teodoro headed the NPC bloc in the House when he was a Tarlac congressman.
Another party member, Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza, said NPC members still enjoy freedom of choice in supporting presidential and vice presidential candidates.
“Kanya-kanya pa rin (It’s still each to his own). In my case, I am a senatorial candidate of Erap (former President Estrada), whose presidential candidacy I am supporting. They cannot force me to abandon Erap,” Plaza said.
He said the party would not sanction those who will not support Dy’s candidate for president.
He recalled that their party decided against fielding or supporting a presidential candidate when Sen. Francis Escudero, a party member, backed out of the race.
The supposed coalition between Dy and Villar has created problems for local NPC candidates, according to former Rep. Antonino.
“There are 239 NPC members at the congressional, provincial and local levels who are being opposed by NP candidates. What happens to them?” she asked.
Pacquiao win to boost my campaign - Villar By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) Updated March 17, 2010 12:00 AM
CABANATUAN CITY , Philippines – Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. admitted yesterday that the latest victory of world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao over Joshua Clottey of Ghana in Dallas, Texas, would boost his presidential campaign once the boxer returns to the country.
Villar said Pacquiao’s help in the campaign would add momentum to his candidacy.
Pacquiao, who is running for congressman in Sarangani under the NP ticket, promised to join Villar in his campaign sorties when he returns.
Villar said like Pacquiao and television host Willie Revillame, they all rose from poverty because of perseverance and hard work.
“We all had nothing in the past. Now that we have accomplished something, we just want to give back to the poor. One who forgets his past will not reach his destination,” Villar said.
Meanwhile, NP senatorial bet party-list Rep. Liza Maza congratulated Pacquiao for his victory.
“Manny Pacquiao once again made us proud to be Filipinos. He deserves the title the Great Filipino boxer for regarding his victory as not his alone but of his country,” Maza said.
Over 250,000 people flocked to a 4.2-hectare land in Don Pepe Subdivision in Cabanatuan City for the political rally-turned-entertainment show hosted by Revillame last Sunday night.
Villar vowed to the residents that he would do his best to improve the economy and alleviate the people from poverty.
Faced with a P300-billion budget deficit this year, Villar said his mandate would not be an easy task but he assured the people that with the help of his entire team and the Filipino nation, their goal would be met.