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Thursday, October 29, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Nation
Escudero quits Cojuangco party, silent on presidential plan
SENATOR FRANCIS Joseph "Chiz" G. Escudero yesterday quit the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), a move that surprised party mates and dumped a long-expected tandem with likely vice-presidential bet Senator Loren B. Legarda.
Senator Francis Joseph “Chiz” G. Escudero greets supporters after announcing his resignation from his political party during a news conference at Club Filipino in San Juan City. -- ReutersMr. Escudero, the prospective standard-bearer of the party headed by business tycoon Eduardo "Danding" M. Cojuangco, Jr., NPC chairman emeritus, announced his decision yesterday, setting aside the need for a political party to survive the elections, but stopped short of declaring his bid for the presidency.
"I have bid goodbye and resigned as member of the NPC, the party that I have belonged to since 1998 when I joined the political race," he told supporters by his lonesome at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, contrary to expectations of disclosing a bid for the presidency.
"The decision to run or not to run for any position should be personal and should not be bound by any party... A presidential contender’s party should be the Philippines and his party-mates should be the Filipinos."
"[Quitting the party] is my personal decision," he said, adding he informed only NPC chairman and former Isabela governor Faustino S. Dy, Jr. about his decision Tuesday night.
Mr. Escudero’s move raised speculations that Mr. Cojuangco was backing other presidential aspirants, purportedly nephew Defense Secretary Gilberto "Gibo" C. Teodoro, Jr. of the administration Lakas-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-Kampi-CMD).
While announcing his resignation, the Sorsogon lawmaker deferred to disclose further plans, asking the public to give him "more time" to decide whether or not he would pursue his presidential bid.
He only said: "I will weigh my capacity to run in the elections in the coming days or weeks."
"No party or group can resolve the problems of this country and no presidential aspirant can perform his duties well if his hands and feet are tied and his eyes are blindfolded," said Mr. Escudero, who turned 40 years old last Oct. 10, the Constitution’s minimum age to run for president.
NPC stalwarts have earlier said that Mr. Escudero’s team-up with Ms. Legarda was almost a done deal. Ms. Legarda last Oct. 23 announced she would seek the vice-presidency and vowed to stay with the NPC, but did not say who to run with.
Supporters of Mr. Escudero, a former three-term congressman for the 1st district of Sorsogon in 1998-2007, who attended the event were Filipinos for Peace, Justice and Progress Movement, the group that supported the presidential bid of the late movie icon Fernando K. Poe, Jr. in the 2004 polls; Magdalo Para sa Pagbabago that has been aligned with detained Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV; and youth groups.
Meanwhile, NPC leaders held an emergency meeting yesterday afternoon at the NPC clubhouse along Balete Drive in Quezon City, as party members had expected that Mr. Escudero would disclose his presidential bid last night at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
‘Surprised, shocked’
Party leaders admitted they were "surprised" and "shocked" with Mr. Escudero’s decision, and said they have yet to firm up future decisions related to the 2010 polls.
Emerging after a closed-door meeting, Mr. Dy said he respects Mr. Escudero’s decision, but admitted he was "surprised and shocked."
Valenzuela Rep. Rexlon T. Gatchalian, NPC spokesman who was also at the meeting, said the party will proceed with its plan to field contenders at the national and local levels.
While Ms. Legarda said she respects the decision of his former party-mate, she said she will not leave the party nor drop her vice-presidential bid.
"What is important is that we are united in a common platform on ecosystem protection, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction," Ms. Legarda told reporters at the NPC clubhouse.
Asked if she would be fielded as standard-bearer, she said: "I already announced that I will run for vice-president."
Mr. Escudero’s departure, she added, will not affect the plan of the party to complete the national and local slate. She did not elaborate.
NPC officials rejected possible coalitions with other political parties, particularly Lakas-Kampi-CMD and the Nacionalista Party headed by likely standard-bearer Senator Manuel B. Villar, Jr. Talks have floated that Messrs. Teodoro and Villar were angling for Ms. Legarda as running mate.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD has yet to name its vice-presidential candidate following the withdrawal of Interior Secretary Ronaldo V. Puno from the race.
Asked if they were willing to adopt other presidential aspirants or coalesce with other parties, Pangasinan Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco, son of the NPC chief, said: "There’s no possibility of that."
Mr. Cojuangco also denied reports his father was supporting other presidential aspirants. "That’s absolutely not true. My father was backing only one presidential and vice-presidential candidate and they were Senators Escudero and Legarda I have not spoken to my father and I don’t know what he’s thinking."
Invitations
At the Palace, Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita yesterday said a possible entry of Mr. Escudero in Lakas-Kampi-CMD "will be a positive development."
Mr. Escudero is a known critic of the administration but Mr. Ermita said even political rivals sometimes patch things up to promote a common goal. "If he still wishes to continue with his aspirations, bite the bullet and hope for the best."
In a related development, the Liberal Party was also caught off-guard by the announcement.
"I was surprised by my friend’s [Mr. Escudero] announcement... I haven’t texted or called him about the matter. I respect his decision. Perhaps he has gone so much thinking before he made this decision," Senator Benigno "Noynoy" C. Aquino III, a perceived major contender, told reporters on the sidelines of the mass oath taking of recruits in the party headquarters at Centro Expo in Cubao, Quezon City.
Mr. Aquino said he is "open" to adopting NPC members who are willing to join in his "campaign for good governance." -- Bernard U. Allauigan with BSSD and VBL
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