Pimentel calls Drilon’s revival of unification talks ‘too self-serving’

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon’s attempt to revive talks to unify the “non-administration” candidates and rally behind one candidate is “too self-serving,” Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who is backing the presidential bid of Senator Manny Pacquiao, said Monday.

Pimentel was reacting to the remarks of Drilon who pointed out that non-administration voters were divided into four.

According to Drilon, Vice President Robredo’s numbers had a “substantial increase” in internal surveys done by political parties affiliated with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Should this be confirmed, Drilon said “maybe it is about time that the three other presidential candidates should start thinking or think of unifying and having only one candidate to fight the administration candidate so we could really have a clear mandate.”

Drilon did not mention names but recent surveys showed that presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was leading the presidential race.

“And as I said this is now probably, with all due respect, the other candidates should now start examining where they are if they have not even gotten to double figures. ‘Yun po sa mga mas mababa sa 10 percent. There’s no sense,” the minority leader added.

During the Pandesal Forum, Pimentel questioned the idea, saying this proposal was not raised when Pacquaio ranked second in one survey.

“Masyado yatang self-serving kasi nung kami ang second place sa survey hindi kami nanawagan ng ganon. Ngayon, may nahanap silang survey na sila ang second place, papanawagan nila yan,” he said.

(That sounds too self-serving because when we placed second in one survey, we did not call for that. Now that they have a survey where they placed second, they are floating this idea.)

Pimentel likewise pointed out that survey methodologies vary and are not uniform.

“It’s a nice politically-strategic call pero mahirap po ‘yun kasi, katulad ng sinasabi ko, what survey will you use? Show me how was it done. Was it really done? The margin of error, ‘di ba after the margin of error, di ba tabla lang tayo? Ganon din ‘yon e,” he said.

(It’s a nice politically-strategic call but that is difficult to realize. Like I said, what survey will you use? Show me how it was done. Was it really done? If the margin of error is considered, it will show that they are tied.)

“So mahirap po ‘yun kayod na lang lahat everybody will just have to campaign and convince the people,” he added.

(We should all just focus on our campaign. Everybody will just have to campaign and convince the people.)

Furthermore, Pimentel said Pacquiao’s team had a master plan for his presidential campaign.

“The plan never said na (that) at the start of the campaign kami agad ang nasa taas (we are on top). It is like an airplane taking off. ‘Yun na lang ang ilagay natin sa isip natin (That’s what we should put in our minds),” he said.

“The master plan of the Manny Pacquiao campaign is an airplane taking off. Kung ‘yung survey mo e nandito pa lang sa time na ito, e pataas pa lang ang eroplano e. Ganon po ‘yon, so di kami nababahala basta tuloy lang po kami,” he added.

(The airplane is just about to take off at this point of the campaign. So we are not bothered. We will just continue with the campaign.)

‘Ni-reject niya’

Senator Panfilo Lacson, in a press conference in Isabela, said Drilon’s statement was condescending.

He recalled that this idea was his original proposal but it was rejected by Robredo.

“Ni-reject niya agad [yung idea] e. Di ‘yun unification. Unification for her. Hindi unification ng non-administration,” Lacson said.

(She rejected it. That is not unification. That is unification for her and not unification of the non-administration candidates.)

In the latest Pulse Asia Survey, Pacquiao ranked fourth with an 8% rating.

Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. maintained the lead with 60%, followed by Vice President Leni Robredo with 15%, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno with 10%.

Lacson was in fifth place with 2%.

The rest of the presidential candidates, Faisal Mangondato, Leody de Guzman, Jose Montemayor Jr., Ernesto Abella, and Norberto Gonzales scored 0.4% or less.

Four percent of respondents were undecided. — DVM, GMA News