INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Oreta: I was treated badly by opposition, that’s why I left

Inquirer

Cynthia Balana

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines -- TEAM Unity senatorial candidate Tessie Aquino-Oreta bared her hurt feelings over the way she was cast aside by the Genuine Opposition (GO) in favor of her nephew, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, with whom her relations are now apparently strained.

In a candid tell-all with reporters during a lull in the administration team’s campaign sortie here, Oreta admitted she had felt bad seeing former President Joseph Estrada agonizing between choosing her or Noynoy for the senatorial lineup.

Estrada, the acknowledged leader of GO, did not fight for her, lamented Oreta, whose well-publicized jig during Estrada’s 2001 impeachment trial helped trigger the public outrage that led to People Power II which toppled the then president.

“That was the thing that made me decide to get out because prior to that, ako ang nandoon (I was already in the Estrada camp) … feeling ko inaantay-antay si Noynoy (I felt they were only waiting for Noynoy),” she said.

Oreta and Noynoy’s mother, former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, are on opposite sides of the political fence. Cory was one of the leaders of the revolt against Estrada.

Oreta told reporters she then talked to her nephew about the problem but he said he was not sure if the Liberal Party to which he belonged would align itself with the opposition because he was involved in putting up a so-called Third Force.

“I said, ‘What?’ Sabi ko pinagtatabuyan na ako hindi pa pala kayo siguradong makikipag-align. Kawawa naman ako (They are casting me aside and yet your group is not even sure of aligning itself with the opposition. I was in a bad position.)

“So I called up President Erap. I said, sir, I will make it easy for you, huwag na ho kayong mahirapan mag-decision, ako na lang ho ang aalis (you need not sweat over the decision, I will just leave),” she said.

Oreta said she felt bad that Estrada did not stop her from leaving.

“Well, maybe I overrated myself in his esteem, I thought he would fight for me,” Oreta said in Filipino.

Regarding her relations with Noynoy, Oreta said she had not talked to him since early this year when the organization of a Third Force was being considered.

But in response to a statement reportedly made by Noynoy during a GO sortie in Batangas that he would ask the Commission on Elections to consider all “Aquino” votes in his favor, she said: “He can have it … except when the ballots contain the names Tessie or Teresa Aquino.”

In the past, she had used Tessie and Teresa Aquino as her names on the ballots.

If the ballot contains only the name “Aquino,” I will not contest it, she said, adding: “pwede na yun alang-alang na lang kay Ninoy (I will let it go for Ninoy’s sake),” referring to the slain opposition leader who was her brother and Noynoy’s father.

But Oreta said that, in the end, it was the Comelec that would decide the matter considering that a Theodore Aquino was also fighting for his right to use the name if his appeal run for senator were granted.

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