INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Sotto hopes to settle ‘unfinished business’ in Senate

INQUIRER.net

Lira Dalangin-Fernandez

MANILA, Philippines -- First, there were “Tito, Greg, and Tessie.” And then they were gone.

This, according to former senator Vicente Sotto III, was what made him decide to leave the opposition to run under the administration’s TEAM Unity ticket -- a move, he said that had been arranged by his new party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Sotto also said that he wanted to return to the Senate for some "unfinished business."

Sotto, a former member of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Fight of the Democratic Filipino, LDP), which Senator Edgardo Angara heads, was responding to questions during a podcast interview by INQUIRER.net editors and reporters, which included why he was seeking reelection as senator and why he was running under the slate of the administration, which he had once criticized.

In his tell-all reply, Sotto recalled that in the last quarter of 2005, three key personalities who campaigned for the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 presidential election met.

Sotto, who had served as the opposition’s campaign manager at that time, said that aside from himself, there was former senator Teresa “Tessie” Aquino-Oreta, who was in charge of operations; and former senator Gregorio “Greg” Honasan, who handled the D-day scenario.

Sotto said that the three of them had been planning to make a comeback in the Senate and needed the backing of ex-president Joseph Estrada who was already in jail at that time after he was ousted by a popular revolt in 2001 and charged with plunder.

Before this, Sotto said he, Oreta, and Honasan had sought an "inventory" of their allies and supporters, and that based on the results of their talk were encouraged to run anew for senator.

In June 2006, Sotto and Oreta had gone to see Estrada and told him of their plan. By that time, Sotto said Honasan had gone into hiding time after being implicated in coup attempts.

By then, Sotto said Estrada had formed an initial line-up, composed of himself, Oreta, Estrada’s wife, senator Luisa “Loi” Ejercito; former senators Loren Legarda and John Osmeña, and Congressman Francis Escudero.

Sotto said Estrada told him that Senator Manuel Villar had also gone to see him to convince the former president to talk to incumbent pro-Estrada senators -- Ejercito, Juan Ponce Enrile, son Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Alfredo Lim -- to support his bid for the Senate presidency.

And then came the United Opposition (UNO), led by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and former senator Ernesto Maceda.

"Somewhere along the way, I don't know what happened ... but UNO started to think about being a political party. ... I believe UNO leaders started thinking that once you were with UNO, panalo ka na [you are already a winner], so people started to form a beeline," Sotto said.

He added: "All of a sudden, we hear different spokesmen bearing names [of senatorial candidates] from 8 to 36, and Tessie, Greg, and I were not included."

Sotto said he felt they were being "thrown out" from the opposition slate, adding that when their names are being asked, the UNO leaders would just say that they are "also considered."

"We felt that probably, we were being eased out because we didn't have a party," he said.

By that time, Sotto said he and Oreta have declared their independence from the LDP after it expressed support for Charter change, which he was against.

Then Sotto said came his meetings with businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, head of the NPC. In those meetings, Sotto said he and Oreta found the NPC welcoming them to its fold, thus, prompting them to join the party.

Sotto said his and Oreta’s inclusion in TEAM Unity came after talks between the pro-administration wing of the NPC and the administration coalition. Sotto said he had sent a letter to Estrada informing him of his decision.

Sotto said he and Estrada had not talked since sending the letter.

"Pinuwera niyo kami, bakit ngayon sasabihin nyo balimbing kami [You excluded us, now you are accusing us of being turncoats]," said Sotto of criticisms about allegedly jumping ship.

Sotto even laughed off tirades from critics, including the "ASO jingle," which was played during the Genuine Opposition's proclamation rally in Plaza Miranda that had alluded to him, Angara, and Oreta for jumping to the administration's side.

But Sotto clarified that running under the administration slate did not mean that he would be Malacañang's voice in the Senate.

In his 12 years as senator, Sotto said he was "never influenced" by Malacañang when it came to legislative voting.

He said he took pride in his voting records, particularly on the issues of the expanded value added tax, the EPIRA (Energy and Power Industry Reform Act) Law, which provides for the privatization of the National Power Corp.; and the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade, which he all opposed.

"I can't be influenced ... I intend to remain an independent Senator," he said.

How is his relationship with the President? And does he still maintain that Arroyo cheated Poe in the 2004 election?

"In this issue, what I have said before I have already said. Given my situation [now], I'd rather keep my peace," he said, adding that the proper venue that can decide on this is the presidential electoral tribunal.

Is this abandoning Poe then, Sotto was asked. He said, "I have never taken back anything I have said before."

Sotto said he wanted to return to the Senate for some "unfinished business." For example, he said the Dangerous Drugs Act, which he had authored, should be a dynamic law and should be reviewed every five years.

As for Charter change, Sotto said he was open to amendments on some provisions, but was against totally changing it.

"I think we have a good Constitution," he added.

Slowly, Sotto said he was getting comfortable campaigning with the other members of TEAM Unity, including Congressman Prospero Pichay, who was initially against Sotto joining the slate.

He also said he found their "Pulong Sulong" or townhall meetings-type of campaigning effective than the old style, referring to the big rallies or motorcades.

What about his chances of winning with Arroyo endorsing him this time?

"Any endorsement is good ... There's a positive factor and a negative side to it," he said.

But one good thing running under Arroyo's team is that she has 95 percent of local leaders on her side, said Sotto.

Sotto said he hoped to make it again in the same chamber that had been his home for 12 years. And he hopes, too, that there will be political stability in the next three years until the next presidential election.

Rather than destabilize Arroyo's last three years, Sotto said the more practical thing to do would be to let her finish her term so that presidential hopefuls would all be on equal footing in 2010, when Arroyo would hand over the reigns of government to her successor.

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