Casiño confirms solo Senate run

MANILA, Philippiens – The leftist Makabayan coalition is fielding Bayan Muna Rep Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño for the 2013 senatorial elections.

Casiño said the coalition opted not to join either the ruling Liberal Party of President Benigno Aquino III or the opposition group United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice-President Jejomar Binay. “Our consensus in the party is that I am better off running solo. In this way, I won’t be tied down by the political complications and baggages that a coalition of traditional parties usually entail,” said Casiño in a statement released Monday, September 3.

Casiño is on his third and last term in the House of Representatives. The leftist coalition is composed of at least 8 party-list groups: Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, Kabataan, Katribu, Migrante, Courage, and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT).

Makabayan fielded two senatorial candidates in the 2010 national elections: former Bayan Muna Rep Satur Ocampo and former Gabriela Rep Liza Maza. Both lost. Based on Commission on Elections data, Ocampo got 3.5 million votes while Maza got 3.8 million votes.

The coalition also supported defeated presidential candidate Senator Manuel Villar Jr.
– Rappler.com

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