Press Release
May 28, 2009

OPPOSITION SHOULD NOT GIVE UP
ON UNIFICATION EFFORTS - PIMENTEL

The opposition was urged by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. not to give up on its unification effort to boost its fighting chance in the 2010 elections despite the conflict among many of its presidential aspirants triggered by the C-5 road scandal.

Pimentel, chairman of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), stressed that the opposition could not afford to remain divided and allow a free-for-all among its presidentiables, instead of rallying behind a common standard bearer.

He said the merger of the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino into a single administration party should prod the opposition into undertaking its own moves to put up a united front in the coming elections.

If necessary, he said the warring presidentiables in the opposition camp should set aside their feud and forge a truce for the sake of the electoral victory and survival of the opposition over their common enemy - the Arroyo administration.

"Although it may be whimsical at this point to see the rival presidentiables joining forces due to their seemingly irreconcilable differences, they should not close the door to the unification process. Otherwise, they face the prospect of being defeated by the administration, with all the advantages it enjoys and the awesome resources at its disposal," the minority leader said.

Although the opposition boasts of an impressive lineup of bankable presidential contenders that gives it an edge over administration, Pimentel said such advantage would be eroded if they will fight against each other.

Moreover, Pimentel said it is doubtful whether any of the major opposition parties can single-handedly wage a credible and winnable fight against the administration. He said the exigencies and hard realities of a costly nationwide electoral battle would make it necessary for opposition parties to coalesce and combine their forces.

"I don't think there is a single opposition party which can run by itself and expect to win. So my proposal is for the opposition aspirants and leaders of various parties to agree on a national convention for the purpose of choosing a common presidential candidate," he said.

At the same time, Pimentel said the unification effort should be complemented by a move to determine the genuine oppositionists from those who are just masquerading as oppositionists for political convenience or for a sinister agenda.

The senator from Mindanao warned that it would be suicidal for the opposition to have more than one candidate for president pitted against the administration standard bearer. This was graphically shown in the 2004 presidential election when the refusal of Sen. Panfilo Lacson to withdraw wrecked the chances of opposition bet Fernando Poe, Jr. to win over President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He said they should be wary of the presence of the pseudo-oppositionists who may turn out to be "Trojan horses" whose mission is to sabotage the unity talks.

Pimentel said a unified opposition with just one presidential candidate is the opposition's most effective shield against electoral fraud in which the Arroyo administration has gained notoriety.

"My fear is if the opposition will have more than one presidential candidate in the 2010 elections, it would be easier for the administration to cheat. And if the opposition is defeated, the administration would say, you were defeated not because you were cheated but because you had so many candidates. That is an argument we want to foreclose," he said.

Based on Pimentel's proposal, the presidential aspirants will be entitled to equal number of delegates to the national convention. They will be asked to espouse their platform of government and stand on national issues during the convention. Afterwards, the presidential nomination will be conducted and delegates will vote on the aspirants through secret balloting.

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