LP sets criteria for allies. Guess who’s ‘disqualified’

MANILA, Philippines (Updated) – First, Liberal Party (LP) vice chairman Franklin Drilon flatly denies claims by Vice President Jejomar Binay of supposed “loose talk” among President Benigno Aquino III’s party mates to make him the administration’s standard bearer.

And then the LP issues a statement that it is open to coalitions, but presents a long list of criteria that appears to disqualify the Vice President. 

“We remain open to partnerships based on a common vision and common values,” read the the LP statement signed by its president, Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. 

Once a dwindling political organization, the LP saw a rebirth after the victory of President Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 polls. It is now the biggest political party but its prospective candidate in the 2016 presidential polls – Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II – is not picking up in surveys. (READ: Liberal Party: Sustaining a rebirth)

Administration allies appear to be looking for alternatives. Rappler earlier obtained an internal survey comparing the chances of Roxas with Senator Grace Poe. (READ: Even with Aquino endorsement, more prefer Poe over Roxas)

It is possible that some LP members concerned with the party’s future are the ones behind the “loose talk” floating Binay’s name as a trial balloon, one party member acknowledged. But getting Binay, the runaway frontrunner in presidential polls, will be painful to Roxas, the LP president-on-leave.

Roxas was the original LP presidential bet for 2010 but who gave way to Aquino only to lose to Binay in the vice presidential race. The Aquino campaign back then was split between supporters of Binay and Roxas.

Battles that Binay did not support

The LP statement enumerates a list of legislative measures and political moves that President Aquino and the Liberal Party vigorously pushed but which Binay or his allies either did not support or even strongly opposed.

• Responsible Parenthood Act

Binay was against the RH bill although his daughter, Makati City Representative Abigail Binay, defied him when she voted in favor of the measure.

“Talagang nagalit ako sa [kanya sa] RH. Sinulatan ko ng ilang beses iyan.” (I really got mad at her over RH. I wrote to her several times),” Binay said about Abigail’s vote. (READ: Binay on 2016: Cannons ready to be fired)

• Sin Tax Reform Act

His ally, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, opposed it. 

• Removal of Chief Justice Renato Corona

Binay did not openly take a stand on the impeachment of Corona. A lawyer, he called for the rule of law and the presumption of innocence. Congressmen belonging to Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, except then San Juan Representative JV Ejercito, did not sign the impeachment complaint against Corona; UNA senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Gringo Honasan voted to convict him, however.

The statement highlights LP’s anti-corruption campaign at a time when the administration is vigorously pursuing cases against Binay’s allies Enrile and Estrada. Binay would reiterate his call for the rule of law and presumption of innocence.

 

The LP statement also cited party efforts to pursue cases against former president Gloria Arroyo and the impeachment of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. Binay took positions that undermined these moves. (Editor’s note: We previously reported that Binay will meet these 2 criteria.)

 

Binay once became the symbol of opposition to Arroyo, especially when Arroyo tried to oust him in Makati. Back then, he was closely allied with the LP and issued permits for anti-Arroyo rallies when no Metro Manila mayor would. Binay himself was the first to give up his presidential ambition in 2010 to avoid campaigning against Aquino. 

 

But Binay kept his distance when the Aquino administration filed the cases against Arroyo. In discussions in Malacañang, he was supposedly in favor of letting Arroyo leave the country. Malacañang would later defy a Supreme Court TRO on the justice department’s Hold Departure Order against Arroyo. 

 

Records show that Makati Representative Abigail Binay had voted to impeach Merceditas Gutierrez – after she corrected an initial record of a “no” vote. This after-results change in the House record was questioned.

 

Two months earlier, in January 2011, Binay lobbied with Aquino to approve the questionable plea bargain deal of Gutierrez  with disgraced military comptroller Carlos Garcia. It was this deal that triggered ouster calls against Gutierrez. She was later impeached but resigned to avoid a Senate trial. (READ: VP Binay lobbied for General Garcia)

Nacionalista candidate?

The LP has coalesced with several political parties, including the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Aquino’s bitter rival in 2010, former Senator Manuel Villar. But not with Binay’s.

“LP believes that moving this nation forward requires a people united based on principle, shared values, and a common anti-corruption governance agenda. Accordingly, the LP affirms this belief in the political coalitions and alliances, we, as a party, enter into,” the statement reads.

Binay’s UNA is considered opposition, although he himself has not really been critical of President Aquino. His partymates are among the most vocal critics of the administration.

A number of administration allies have been posturing for the 2016 presidential race. Among them is NP Senator Alan Cayetano, who previously shot down Malacañang’s possible endorsement of Binay’s candidacy, saying it would endanger Aquino’s legacy.

Other political parties under the LP-led majority coalition in the House of Representatives are the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Akbayan, National Unity Party, and Laban ng Demokrating Pilipino. 

These parties supported Aquino’s legislative agenda. – Rappler.com