PRESIDENT AQUINO WAMED VS MASSIVE POLITICAL MIGRATION

Charissa Luci

President Aquino’s choice of a winnable standard bearer for the 2016 presidential polls would make or break the ruling Liberal Party, a lawmaker warned yesterday.

AKO BICOL partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe, spokesperson of the 39-member Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. (PCF), said Mr. Aquino as LP chairman should prudently choose the party’s standard bearer because failure to do so would put the LP in a losing end.

“The fate of LP as the dominant party will certainly depend not as to who will it supports but if its candidate will win the 2016 elections. If its candidate wins, we can all be assured that the LP will be dominant. If it loses, you can be assured that almost everybody will jump from a sinking ship,” he said.

He said the so-called “massive political migration” might be visibly seen as the the filing of certificate of candidacy (CoC) in October nears.

“It is still too early to tell. Wait until the last quarter of this year and the realignment of forces will slowly becoming more clear and defined,” Batocabe, a lawyer said.

1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III, a member of the House minority bloc said he will not be surprised if Mr. Aquino’s LP will collapse in the coming months.

“About 75 percent of the LP membership came from Lakas and other political parties. With the President becoming a lame duck President, the political world will witness another massive political migration! What else is new,” the former Justice secretary pointed out.

The LP maintained that it remains stronger and will continue to play a crucial role in charting the country’s future beyond 2016 amid speculations that the administration party is breaking apart due to differences on their standard bearer in the next year’s elections.

The party’s presumptive presidential candidate remains Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Photo - COMPLETING THE PICTURE? — Framed against the images of two former presidents and flanked by President Aquino after taking his oath as Interior and Local Governments secretary in 2012, Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas II is widely believed to be set on launching a bid for the presidency in 2016 by quitting DILG in June to prepare for a political showdown with Vice President Jejomar C. Binay. (MB Archives)

Manila Bulletin