TEAM UNITY TO GIVE WAY TO INCUMBENT OFFICIALS ANGARA

Incumbent officials seeking reelection may now breathe easily as Team Unity agreed to respect the principle of equity of the incumbents in the selection of local candidates, reelectionist senator Edgardo Angara today confirmed.

In an interview, Angara revealed that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself has supported the principle of equity of incumbents in choosing candidates.

It was a unanimous decision. During our arbitration meeting, all members of the Unity Team agreed to respect the equity of incumbents. Even the President, who heads the arbitration committee and is a prime mover of KAMPI, believes that this is best move, Angara said.

The equity of incumbents is a political dictum, which gives priority to the reelectionist local official as the legitimate candidate of a political party or coalition where he or she belongs. Other members of the party or coalition who wish to challenge the incumbent official will be encouraged to back out or to run under a different position.

One perfect example of this is the case of Zamboanga City . Mayor Celso Lobregat, Vice Mayor Beng Climaco and eight of the 20 councilors, who are all members of the LDP, were affirmed to run for reelection, Angara said.

Angara , chairman and president of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), believes that such system will be favorable to his political party.

On the other hand, open positions will be contested by members of the alliance and will be decided by the arbitration committee, Angara said.

Originally known as LABAN, LDP was organized by the former Senator Benigno Ninoy Aquino in 1978.