John O says Angara sabotaged FPJ's 2004 presidential bid

DAGUPAN CITY – Opposition senatorial candidate John Osmeña on Thursday accused former opposition stalwart Sen. Edgardo Angara of sabotaging the presidential bid of the late Fernando Poe Jr (FPJ) in the 2004 elections. Osmeña, who ran but lost in the last senatorial elections under the administration’s Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K4), said he still believes Poe won in the last elections. “But in the coming elections, I am confident that [the administration] could not cheat us again," Osmeña said. He said he would be more vigilant to watch the voting, citing the experience of the opposition’s Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), which failed to field poll watchers in many parts of the country. Osmeña has said joining the administration in the 2004 elections was his biggest mistake in his political career. He said he was junked by his colleagues in the K4. The former senator now accused Angara, who was instrumental in pushing for the candidacy of Poe under KNP, of sabotaging the candidacy of the late actor. He, however, did not elaborate on his allegation. “Ang gusto kong tanungin ay si Angara. Ano ba ang ginawa niya kay Fernando Poe? Hindi ba niya sinabotahe ang pagtakbo sa pag-kapresidente ni FPJ? (I would like to ask Angara. What has he done for Fernando Poe? Was he the one who sabotaged FPJ’s presidential bid?" Osmeña said. He said Angara’s support for Poe was insincere. “Iyong pagkatalo ni FPJ, sinabotahe iyon ni Angara (FPJ’s defeat stemmed from Angara’s sabotage scheme)," he said. He also said former President Joseph Estrada was jailed because of the book Angara wrote during the last days of the former leader in Malacañang. Angara was then appointed executive secretary of Estrada days before he was ousted through People Power 2 in February 2001. Administration senatorial candidate Rep. Prospero Pichay earlier accused Angara, Tessie Aquino Oreta and Vicente Sotto III as Trojan horses. At the same time, Osmeña accepted the challenge of the administration Team Unity to a debate. He said he believes that the May 14 balloting “is a struggle to protect democracy in the country," citing the attempts of the Arroyo administration and its allies at the House of Representatives to abolish the Senate. He said the way the campaign has been going for the past two weeks, “it looks like a one-way campaign," with the opposition reaching out to the people and the administration hiding from the people. - GMANews.TV