Malacañang on Tuesday questioned the "sudden openness" of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) to form an alliance with the Aquino administration's Liberal Party (LP) for the coming 2013 midterm elections

 

"Certainly we would like to ask them why is there a sudden openness [from] their party when previously they have already mentioned we don’t need any other political groups," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during a press briefing at the Palace.

 

Lacierda issued the statement after Vice President Jejomar Binay said he was open to the possibility of UNA jointly forming a senatorial slate with LP for the 2013 polls.

The Palace spokesperson's comments came on the same day LP members rejected a possible 'super coalition' with UNA. 

 

It was San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito, one of UNA's prospective bets in the 2013 senatorial polls, who proposed the formation of the "super senatorial slate" by LP and UNA.

 

UNA is a coalition between Binay's Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) and former President Joseph Estrada's Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP). President Benigno Aquino III heads the Liberal Party.

UNA changing position?

 

Lacierda said he has yet to confirm if there are real talks regarding the issue but admitted that he was really confused why UNA would change its position. 

 

"They have already formed their own coalition [so] why are they open to [a] coalition with the Liberal Party? So it is up in the air. Why [did] they decide to change their mind?" he said.

 

"They have adopted an exclusionary policy in the beginning and therefore because of that the LP decided to forge ahead with its own coalition," he added. 

 

Earlier, Lacierda confirmed that LP has agreed in principle to team up with President Aquino's former rival, Senator Manuel Villar, and his party, the Nacionalista Party.

 

"So that is [a] practical difficulty and we have [a] philosophical difficulty with some of the members of the slate of UNA. I think that is very visible to everyone," he said.

 

Both alliances have yet to complete their senatorial slates for next year's polls. — RSJ, GMA News