2 Cabinet execs eyeing Senate seats visit Estrada

By JOAN DAIRO, GMANews.TV Former President Joseph Estrada said on Wednesday that two Cabinet secretaries reportedly eyeing Senate seats have recently visited him, even as political maneuverings for next year's elections heat up. Estrada told dzMM radio that Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has gone to his rest house in Tanay, Rizal, where he is being detained, at least three times this year. He also said that Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor has also visited him at least twice this year. The ousted President, however, said that Reyes, a retired general who was Armed Forces chief during Estrada’s term, has not solicited his endorsement for next year’s political exercise. "In fairness to Secretary Reyes, he had been here about three times, but he has never asked me for anything. He said he just wanted to visit me and asked for forgiveness for what he did in 2001," he said. Amid massive protests in January 2001 at the height of Estrada’s impeachment complaint, Reyes, along with former Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado and the entire military leadership, withdrew support from Estrada. It led to the former President’s ouster, less than midway into his six-year term, and the assumption into power of Mrs Arroyo, who was then Vice President. Defensor was a young opposition politician when Estrada was President. Estrada was arrested a few months after his ouster and has been detained ever since. Administration bets Reyes and Defensor are among the personalities whom presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio said would likely be included in the administration’s senatorial ticket. Twelve of the 24 seats in the Senate are to be contested in the May 2007 polls. Senators are elected to six-year terms. Estrada’s spokesman, Rufus Rodriguez, told GMANews.TV in a telephone interview that Reyes’ apology could have only been aimed at "winning the hearts of Erap’s (Estrada’s popular nickname) loyal supporters." "When the masses know that he (Reyes) has been forgiven by the President (Estrada), then there is a chance that their minds might change and they might vote for him in the elections," Rodriguez said. Defensor had also been in Estrada’s Tanay rest house, reportedly trying to persuade the ousted leader to agree to a "political reconciliation" with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Estrada refused to say if Defensor had asked him to endorse his bid but admitted that the senatorial elections had cropped up several times during their conversation. "But there was nothing into that, it was just a passing topic," Estrada said in Filipino. Estrada said he even teased Defensor about recent poll surveys that showed the administration would lose heavily in the 2007 senatorial elections . "But I was just teasing…there was no serious discussion. And Secretary Defensor good-naturedly responded to my jokes with a smile," Estrada said. Incumbents have visited too Aside from Reyes and Defensor, Estrada said Senate President Manuel Villar and Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr have also recently visited him, but declined what they had discussed. Estrada, however, said that he had included Villar and Pimentel’s son, Coco, in the draft senatorial slate of the opposition. Villar, who is president of the Nacionalista Party (NP), is seeking a second term while Pimentel, president of the PDP-Laban, is barred by the Constitution from running for the same position after having served two consecutive terms. Villar, who was then Speaker of the House of Representatives, sent the impeachment complaint to the Senate on November 2000 against Estrada, amid protests from the former President’s allies. Pimentel was Senate President during Estrada’s impeachment trial. He is now among Mrs Arroyo’s most vocal critics. ’Forget the past’ Estrada said he had long forgiven the people responsible for his ouster and is now even ready to endorse their senatorial bids, if the political situation would permit it. The ousted leader said he had accepted the apologies of Villar and Pimentel Rodriguez, Estrada’s spokesman, also said that Senator Ralph Recto and Senate majority leader Francis Pangilinan are also among those in the opposition’s list of senatorial bets. The two senators ran under the Arroyo-led People Power Coalition in the 2001 senatorial polls. Recto and Pangilinan do not identify themselves with the opposition but have recently been critical of Mrs Arroyo in a number occasions. Recto is a member of Villar’s Nacionalista Party. Pangilinan is a member of the Liberal Party (LP) who identifies himself with the wing of Senator Franklin Drilon, a former administration ally who is now one of its vocal critics. Rodriguez said Pangilinan was included in the opposition line-up after Estrada decided to strike out Sen. Panfilo Lacson from the list. "We have to remove his name (Lacson) and replace him because we got reports that he is more interested in running for mayor (of Manila). So Sen. Pangilinan was picked by the President (Estrada)," Rodriguez said. Estrada named Lacson to head the Philippine National Police (PNP) during his term. Shortly after Estrada’s ouster, Lacson successfully ran as senator in the May 2001 polls. Lacson unsuccessfully run for President in the May 2004 elections, placing third. Estrada had asked the former police chief not to run so as not take away opposition votes from his preferred candidate, his close friend and the highly popular actor Fernando Poe Jr. Poe was declared to have lost to Mrs Arroyo but his supporters have insisted he was cheated out of victory. The actor died of a heart attack on December 2004. Recto, on the other hand, had been showing an "opposition streak" lately, which would make him a viable bet against the administration, Rodriguez added. Estrada’s spokesman also said the alliance between the Villar’s NP and Estrada’s Partido ng Masang Pilipino has been finalized. "We have already included the three NPs, so the alliance is final, I guess," he added. The three NP candidates are Villar, Recto and Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition lawmaker. ‘No loyalty check’ Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Malacañang would not do a loyalty check on its Cabinet officials and allies at the House of Representatives. "There is no need for that (loyalty check). We are confident of where we stand. But of course, I admit that there is no such thing as a 100 per cent guarantee of loyalty. There might be some in the administration who are treading the wrong path," he said in a phone patch interview with Malacañang reporters. Ermita also said he is sure that Recto "is still very loyal to the party." He noted that Recto is a member of the Lakas-CMD, a key administration party. "I am sure his name was mentioned in the opposition line-up but I am confident that he is very loyal to the party," he said. ‘Still no final decision’ For his part, Recto said he has yet to make a decision. He admitted that members of the opposition has approached him but has not held talks with the administration. "No one from the administration has asked me…I think they are too busy with Charter change," he said. He said that if it is true that the NP has made final political arrangements with Estrada’s camp, it does not mean he would automatically run under the opposition. "The party decision would take second lead to the opinion of my family, relatives and friends," Recto said. He added, too, that he would definitely not run under the administration ticket if it pursues amending the 1987 Constitution next year. "Charter change is an important issue because if they pursue it, then basically what they’re talking about here is just power; it’s not about basic issues like health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, security, or other economic matters. It is only about power and that’s what charter change to me is all about," the senator said. -GMANews.TV