Meeting planned to convince Koko to stay with UNA
Former President Joseph Estrada disclosed yesterday that he is setting up a meeting with Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to convince him to stay with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and the group’s senatorial slate that includes former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.
UNA is the new coalition of Estrada’s party, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), and Vice President Jejomar Binay’s PDP-Laban or the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.
“I’m doing my best. I asked for a meeting with him (Pimentel). He has not given me time yet,” Estrada said.
Estrada said he assigned UNA spokesman JV Bautista to set his meeting with Pimentel.
He said Pimentel should learn to forgive and forget, adding that he has not met the senator for more than a month now.
“I want to talk to him first. We are not seeing each other for already a month. I have no right to remove anyone from UNA because it is a coalition of PMP and PDP-Laban. We are three in UNA’s executive committee and the other members include Vice Binay, the titular head, and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile,” Estrada said.
“I am saddened. If that was what he (Pimentel) said, Migz (Zubiri) would have been indicted along with Mrs. (Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo in the electoral sabotage case. But it is only (Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin) Abalos who was indicted with Gloria,” Estrada said.
Estrada said that since Zubiri was not indicted, Pimentel could not accuse him of conspiracy (to cheat in the polls).
“Out of the cheating, maybe he benefi ted from that. It is saddening. I hope he will reconsider his (Pimentel) plans. Both of them are still young. Migz is willing to fight against corruption. I cannot let Koko Pimentel go. He is my godson,” Estrada said.
“Both of them (Pimentel and Zubiri) are in the magic 12 in the survey. My message to Koko, well, let me read Mahatma Gandhi’s statement: The weak cannot forgive, but forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. He (Pimentel) should forgive and forget so that he will live happily,” Estrada said.
Estrada also confirmed that Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia are included in the UNA senatorial ticket for the 2013 elections.
Bautista said Pimentel is willing to sit down for a one-on-one (snack) with Estrada.
“Bautista said he (Pimentel) is willing to have a snack with (President) Estrada. His excuse was his schedule. He said he is just synchronizing his schedule in order to meet for a one-on-one merienda with President Estrada,” Bautista said.
Bautista said he is hoping that Pimentel would learn a lesson from Estrada about forgiveness.
UNA break up
A break up of the merger of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) and the Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) looms after the original PDP members reportedly relayed their plans to dissolve the merger if the leadership of UNA insists on including Zubiri in its senatorial line up in the 2013 midterm election, sources said.
The PDP-Laban is a result of the merger in 1986 of the two political parties – PDP, which was founded in 1982 by former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., and Lakas ng Bayan that was founded by the late Sen. Benigno Aquino in 1978,
A PDP source said that in a “worst case scenario,” PDP would file a notice to the Commission on Elections to dissolve the 1986 party merger that would leave the Laban party, which is represented by Binay, alone in UNA.
“If that scenario happens then PDP will be free again to seek alliances with other parties that shares its political vision and mission,” the source said.
Sen. Pimentel declined to confirm or deny the possible break-up, saying that its still premature to issue any statement before the UNA will make its final decision tomorrow.
“I do not want to preempt the decision of UNA,” he told The STAR.
The source said original PDP party members raised the issue on dissolving the PDP-Laban merger after the UNA, which is led by Estrada, took a hard line stand in including Zubiri in the coalition’s senatorial line up, representing his party the Pwersa Na Masang Pilipino.
Estrada has been quoted in media reports as saying that UNA does not care if Pimentel will not join the UNA senatorial line up.
“It’s up to him if he leaves the coalition,” Estrada reportedly said.
The source said since PMP and PDPLaban forged the UNA alliance, it is duty bound to honor candidates of the PMP, and the only remedy left is for the PDP to break away from Laban and seek alliance with other political parties.
The elder Pimentel, together with opposition groups from Cagayan De Oro City and Davao City, formed PDP in 1982 while Laban was formed by the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino for the 1978 Interim Batasang Pambansa parliamentary elections.
The two parties merged in 1986 to former the PDP-Laban, which became the single strongest opposition group at the time of former president Ferdinand Marcos.
PDP-Laban later joined the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) that was led by the late Salvador Laurel.
After the election of President Corazon Aquino, PDP-Laban was split into two factions, the Pimentel wing and the group of Aquino’s brother Jose “Peping” Cojuangco.
The Cojuangco wing later merged with the Laban that was led by the late Speaker Jose Mitra Jr. to form the Laban ng Demokrating Party (LDP).
The source said the split of PDP and Laban would allow the PDP to forge an alliance with other political parties like the Liberal Party of President Aquino.