Edgardo Angara: Candidate for Senator

[jedi]

This is our place to discuss anything about the achievements, track record, political stand, platform and candidacy of Edgardo J. Angara as a candidate for senator.

Lets use this forum to evaluate the candidates and to share our political insights.

Lets get ready to rumble

[jedi]

Angara, Loren to part ways in May '07 polls

Sen. Edgardo Angara on Wednesday announced that he has accepted the offer to run under the "unity ticket" being pushed by political leaders of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The announcement came on the same day that former Sen. Loren Legarda, one of Angara's close political allies, confirmed to GMANews.TV that she would join the opposition senatorial ticket for the May 14 elections.

Angara was crucial in pushing for Legarda as the vice presidential candidate of the late Fernando Poe Jr in the 2004 presidential elections.

"I am filing under UNO (United Opposition) tomorrow at 2 p.m. I will have a press conference at the Comelec (Commission on Elections) at 1 p.m.," Legarda said in a text message.

Angara, for his part, made his announcement during a press conference at the Senate.

“Today, I accept the invitation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to run under the unity ticket," he told reporters.

He said he decided to join the administration's unity ticket because he hates "politics of negativism."

"I abhor the politics of hate and negativism. It is about time that politicians of whatever persuasion come together to push this momentum, for the time of divisive politics has reduced our nation to unexplainable poverty,"he said.

"Politics is deteriorating, (we are) stuck in hate and negativism, which I reject. Politics should be relevant to the lives of people and not be seen as a destructive force," he added.

His decision was made after consultations with leaders and members of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, of which he is the chairman.

"There was overwhelming support for my decision," he said.

He said the LDP would join the administration coalition, which is currently made up of the Lakas-CMD and Kampi.

“I am joining the unity coalition on clear understanding that we shall concentrate state resources to vital social expenditures, principally education, health, infrastructure, agricultural modernization, job creation and environmental protection," he said.

Before this, the LDP was part of the opposition.

It had been allied with the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), a broad-based alliance of political opposition parties and groups, which fielded the late actor Fernando Poe Jr against President Arroyo in the 2004 presidential election.

It was also part of the opposition coalition that participated in the 2001 senatorial elections.

The party was also part of the group that pushed for the presidency of Estrada during the 1998 presidential polls.

Angara's announcement ended weeks of speculations about his options.

Just recently, Legarda admitted that she and Sen. Franklin Drilon have been lobbying Estrada about the possible inclusion of Angara in the UNO senatorial ticket, which has already announced eight of its 12 potential bets for the senatorial midterm polls.

But despite this, Angara was left out of the opposition list.

Reacting to Angara ’s announcement, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said President Arroyo should watch her back.

“Ngayong magkasama na sila, I would advise her that she should watch her back. No one knows the real color of Angara," Lacson told reporters.

“If he’s comfortable with the administration, let him stay there. He is not a loss to the opposition," he said, adding that Angara ’s joining the administration is not surprising at all because “he’s just being true to himself, he’s not really with the opposition."

Angara, for his part, also lashed out at critics.

"He abandoned his boss, President Erap (Joseph Estrada) and divided the opposition in 2004. Now he's prancing around as if he's the champion of the opposition. I think his record of betrayal and violence is enough to disqualify him," Angara said, apparently referring to Lacson.

"But in fact he's the one who's jumping over all the time. He's the one who broke the opposition at that time. If he did not run we could have won," he added.

Angara and Lacson have been feuding since the 2004 presidential elections when Lacson ran for the presidency despite efforts by the opposition to present a unified ticket under Poe.

- -GMANews.TV

[kimpOy]

UNITY vs UNO

so eto na ba ang new political parties ngayon?

[Syuryuken]

Political prostitute to eh

Big "NO" for me

[oliver1013]

Yep..Kahapon puti ngayon itim. Taga aurora propvince to..May nagawa na ba siya sa kanyang home turf?

Sayang to dati nagagalingan ako sa kanya pero...wala talaga.

[jonski]

ok lang sya sa akin. isa kasi sya sa nakikita ko na kahit opposition sya or administration ay kung may ginawang maganda ang kabilang side ay nakikisama sya sa mga magandang projects and hindi gaya ng iba na mas loyal sa group nila kaysa pilipinas na porke project ng kabilang gruop ay ayaw na kaagad. kung ganito sana si Escudero ay iboboto ko sya.

[claRkEnt]

Yep..Kahapon puti ngayon itim. Taga aurora propvince to..May nagawa na ba siya sa kanyang home turf?

Sayang to dati nagagalingan ako sa kanya pero...wala talaga.

meron na... pinaputol nya mga puno... i think he owns one of the biggest loggers sa area noon kaya nung nagkaroon ng tragedy sa quezon, his name cropped up.