Admin ‘upset’ by Noli's coyness on 2010 plans

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Noli de Castro’s apparent coyness in announcing his plans for 2010 is “upsetting" members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, an administration lawmaker said on Sunday. Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said that by distancing himself from the party, De Castro is “alienating himself" from the coalition’s members and officials. “Many party members are upset about the vice president’s lack of effort to reach out to them," the lawmaker said. De Castro’s impressive performance in surveys has made him one of the top possible choices to be the administration’s standard bearer in next year’s national elections despite his not being a member of either the Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats Lakas-CMD) or the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) parties. The two parties formally merged last April 28 in preparation for the 2010 polls. Despite his performance in surveys, De Castro has yet to officially announce whether or not he would gun for the highest position in land next year. He has also avoided questions about joining the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party. Albano said high rating in surveys is no guarantee that De Castro would bag the administration’s presidential nomination. “The selection process is about to begin and his commitment and true intentions are suspect to many of us. Is he or isn’t he? That is the question only he can answer," Albano said. “The party’s actions will not be dependent on the vice president’s convenience. He needs the party more than it needs him," he added. Meanwhile, another administration lawmaker, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, said the longer it takes for De Castro to firm up his political plans, the more difficult it would be for him to muster support among Lakas-Kampi-CMD members. He added that De Castro’s continued hedging hints at his own doubts about how his survey ratings would stand up to an outright alliance with the administration. “He might have reservations about joining the administration party thinking it might affect his popularity. He maybe looking for other parties to join," Abante said. - GMANews.TV