Villar, Bongbong to seal alliance on Friday

The once dominant Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) of Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and the Nacionalista Party of Senator Manuel Villar Jr. will seal their alliance Friday in a bid to boost the latter's presidential bid. The event, which will be held 10 a.m. at the Villar-owned Laurel House in Mandaluyong City, will coincide with the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for all elective posts in the 2010 elections. Marcos, son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr., had earlier said he is included in NP’s senatorial slate, although he is also a guest candidate in the United Opposition (UNO) under former President Joseph Estrada. Months ago, stickers bearing the words “Manny Villar for President, Bongbong Marcos Vice President" were distributed to the members of the Senate media. Villar had denied the stickers came from them. Villar's running mate is Senator Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC). The KBL used to be the dominant party during the reign of the elder Marcos, who ruled the Philippines from 1966 to 1986. After the February 1986 revolution, the party's presence in the political arena became limited to the Ilocos region. Changing alliances Meanwhile, changes in alliances continue on the eve of the filing of COCs. Also on Thursday, four members of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party - Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Councilor Joy Belmonte and Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri - took their oath as the new members of Liberal Party (LP). Belmonte will be LP’s congressional candidate in the fourth district of Quezon City while Bautista will seek the mayoralty post, with Joy as his running mate. Echiverri will seek reelection next year.

The Belmontes and Bautista took their oaths Thursday morning at the Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City where hundreds of their supporters showed up to back their 2010 candidacies. Echiverri’s oath-taking, meanwhile, was held at the covered court in Bagong Silang in Caloocan City in the afternoon. They are the latest to bolt out of Lakas-Kampi-CMD to join LP, which is fielding the tandem of Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III and Manuel “Mar" Roxas II in next year’s elections. Before them, former Senator Ralp Recto and his wife, Batangas governor Vilma Santos also quit the administration to join LP. Another Lakas-Kampi-CMD member, Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria “Joe" Zubiri, is also set to transfer to LP along with other local officials from the province next week. “Last year pa committed na ako kay Senator Mar Roxas. That time si Mar pa ang kandidato ng LP. Kaibigan ko si Mar noon pa. Pero nung si Senator Noynoy na, nagkausap naman kami at sinabi nilang welcome ang mga tao ko," he told reporters. (I made my commitment last year when Senator Mar Roxas was still the standard bearer of LP. When Senator Aquino took over, they assured me that me and my men are still welcome in party.) Rep. Teofisto Guingona III, son of former Vice President Teofista Guingona Jr., was the first Bukidnon official to transfer to LP. He is included in the party’s senatorial slate. Lakas-Kampi Lakas-Kampi-CMD earlier in the day formally announced the tandem of former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and former Optical Media Board chairman Eduardo “Edu" Manzano. Zubiri’s son, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, had earlier said Teodoro’s lackluster performance in presidential surveys had driven about 30 to 40 percent of their members to other parties. The younger Zubiri, who is the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s vice president for Mindanao, said he’s sticking it out with the administration. - GMANews.TV