PAMPANGA, Philippines – Vice presidential candidate Senator Francis Escudero hit back at critics on Tuesday, March 1, over their refusal to accept the endorsement of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) of his tandem with presidential bet Senator Grace Poe.

Escudero said the Liberal Party and the United Nationalist Alliance have no right to speak on behalf of the NPC. The two parties have raised doubts that the NPC members are solidly behind the decision of the party leaders to endorse Poe and Escudero. (READ: Presidential bets: NPC support for Grace Poe ‘not solid’)

Escudero also told critics to “man up” and accept that they would not get everything they want.

“Porke’t di nila nakuha, ang dami naman nila masyadong sinasabi. Sila na nga itong may dati nang partido at dati na raw malaki ang makinarya, bakit sila nagrereklamo ngayon? Sana tulad ng gagawin namin kung hindi kami ang napili ng NPC, ganun din sana ang gawin nila. Magpakalalaki sila kaugnay sa bagay na ito. Tanggapin at galangin ang pasya pabor man o kontra man ‘yon sa kanila,” Escudero said in a press conference.

(Just because they did not get it, they are now saying a lot of things. They already have political parties. I thought they said they have an extensive machinery. So why are they complaining now? I hope they do what we would have done if we weren’t endorsed by the NPC. They should man up in this case, accept and respect the decision whether it is favorable or not to them.)

Escudero recalled how other presidential bets also sought the endorsement of NPC.

NPC members met with Vice President Jejomar Binay (United Nationalist Alliance), Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan), and Manuel Roxas II (Liberal Party). But it is only independent candidate Poe with whom they met several times.

“LP si Mar (Roxas), UNA si Vice President Jejomar Binay, wala yata silang karapatan magsalita para sa NPC. Lahat sila humarap sa NPC para hilingin ang endorsement ng NPC. Kung di namin nakuha ‘yun, mananahimik kami at gagalangin namin ang desisyon ng NPC,” he said.

(Mar Roxas is LP, Vice President Jejomar Binay is UNA, they do not have the right to speak for NPC. They all sought NPC’s endorsement then. If we didn’t get it, we would just stay quiet and respect the NPC’s decision.)

Poe, for her part, maintained the NPC endorsement is legitimate, as they were announced by officials.

“First of all, ang mga nagtatapon ng duda ay ‘yung mga nasa kabila. Ang endorsement ay aming tinatanggap. Marami naman sa kanila ay sumuporta sa amin at ngayon ay opisyal na…. Mismong liderato ang nagpahayag. ‘Di naman namin personal naging desisyon, desisyon ‘yan ng partido,” Poe said.

(First of all, those casting doubts are those from the other side. We are accepting the endorsement. Many of them have long supported us and now have made it official…. Their leadership has announced it. It was not our personal decision, it was the party’s decision.)

Re-electionist senator and NPC member Vicente Sotto III shared the tandem’s sentiments and hit other parties for meddling with NPC affairs.

Sotto said critics are alarmed now that a political party is supporting Poe and Escudero.

“NPC ba sila? Bakit sila nakikialam sa NPC? Kinakabahan lang ‘yung mga ‘yun dahil biglang nagkaroon ng political party na buma-back up kina Chiz and Grace,” Sotto said.

(Do they belong to NPC? Why are they meddling with NPC? They are just worried now because a political party is backing Chiz and Grace.)

Sotto also took a swipe at other political parties for questioning the NPC’s cohesion, saying they are hardly as solid as they seem to be.

“Kasi hindi lahat sa UNA solid, LP solid, ‘di lahat ng Lakas solid. Bakit kayo, solid? May mga kakilala tayong ‘di sumusunod. Meron din kasing mga grupo sa amin na p’wedeng magsabing ‘di sila makakasunod, walang problema because NPC has always been the most tolerant party in the country,” he said.

(Not all UNA, LP are solid, not all Lakas are solid. Why, are they solid? We know members who do not toe the party line. There are groups in NPC who could say they cannot follow, there’s no problem with that because NPC has always been the most tolerant party in the country.)

“Therefore kung di ka makakasunod sa party position, di mag-leave ka…sabihin mo ‘di ka makakasunod.” (Therefore, if you could not follow the party position, then take a leave of absence. Just tell the party you cannot follow.)

No Danding involvement
Asked about NPC founder and businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr, Escudero said Cojuangco has long distanced himself from the party’s decision-making process.

Escudero was a member of the NPC until he bolted the party in 2009.

“Nung miyembro ako nang 2009, di na siya nakikialam sa pagdedesisyon sa partido. Marahil hanggang ngayon dahil nagkaron siya ng karamdaman na nalalaman ng lahat,” Escudero said.

(When I was a member in 2009, he was not meddling with the party’s decisions anymore, maybe until now because he has an illness, which everyone knows about.)

Escudero said he only talked with Cojuangco about the latter’s illness and added he only discussed endorsement matters with NPC president and Isabela Representative Giorgidi Aggabao and chairman and former Governor Jun Dy.

The tandem earlier revealed that they are borrowing or renting private planes from business conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, where Cojuangco is the chairman.

“Matagal ko na siyang nakausap, pero tungkol lang sa karamdaman niya. Wala na siyang aktibong partisipasyon…ang designation nya ay chairman emeritus,” he said.

(It’s been a while since I talked to him, but we only talked about his sickness. He has no active participation [in the party]. His designation now is chairman emeritus.) – Rappler.com