NPC, NP unfazed by Noynoy poll rating

By Gerry Baldo

10/16/2009

The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) is not bothered by the recent survey topped by Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino among the presidential aspirants, saying it remains to be seen if such will last until election day.

According to Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit, who is also the NPC secretary general, the 2010 election is several months away and that the political situation is still very fluid.

“It’s nothing. If we all believe in surveys, then there will be no more elections,” he stressed.

Former Laguna Rep. Benjamin Agarao, for his part, said the “real survey” would be held during the May 10 elections where at least 50 million would vote on their presidential choices as against the survey which was “voted” upon by only 1,800 respondents.

“The real survey is the vote of the people. Election is like a basketball, you are holding the ball now, but it would not be always in your hands,” he added.

Agarao and Duavit said the party is now busy with helping the victims of the two typhoons that devastated most parts of the country.

The Nationalista Party (NP) also reacted to some statements made by members of the Liberal Party that they are going to win overwhelmingly in the 2010 elections as shown by the surveys.

Former Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, NP spokesman, said the presidential race is not a 100-meter sprint for Aquino to count his blessings.

“The race for the presidency is not a 100-meter sprint but a marathon where the strongest will be declared the winner,” Remulla said yesterday.

NPC spokesman Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian said they are fully supporting the decision of Sen. Francis Escudero to defer announcement of his plans for the 2010 presidential elections in deference to the victims of typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”

He added instead of going ahead with the declaration of their standard-bearer, the party would aggressively embark on fund-raising activities for the victims of the typhoons.

“The party leadership has decided that aside from giving them relief goods at the evacuation centers, we will also provide victims with employment by hiring them to clean up their respective barangays,” Gatchalian said.

Escudero was supposed to make an announcement of his political plans at Club Filipino on Monday but decided against it in the wake of the devastation caused by Pepeng.

He said the NPC will formally announce its standard-bearer at the appropriate time.

“We would like to assure our supporters and the electorate that the NPC will field a complete line-up including a complete slate for the senatorial bets from our ranks once the right time has come,” Gatchalian said.

The administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD party has also moved its national convention from Oct. 21 to mid-November due to the calamities that hit the country.

The rescheduled national convention hopes to form the administration party’s full slate in the 2010 polls, from president down to its 12 senatorial candidates.

Secretary to the Cabinet Silvestre Bello III, also the senior deputy secretary general of the merged party, said the Lakas-Kampi-CMD would also ratify the consensus achieved during the national directorate meeting last month in which Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. was chosen as party’s standard-bearer.

“We will probably reschedule it because we don’t have much time since we are very busy attending to the victims of the recent typhoons,” Bello said.

He added they were not alarmed by the some Lakas-Kampi-CMD members leaving the party and they expected such scenarios leading up to the election in 2010.

“Well, we’re concerned but we’re not alarmed. It’s a political season and some politicians will be jumping from one party to another,” Bello said referring to the reported defection of Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte to the NP.

On Wednesday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said they were not worried about the recent survey in which Aquino getting the highest support among “presidentiables.”

The party was not concerned because the 2010 elections were several months away and a lot of things could still happen, he stressed. PNA

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