Chiz to settle issue with UNA before start of campaign period

Faced with the prospect of losing support from the United Nationalist Alliance, re-electionist Sen. Francis Escudero said Tuesday he wil thresh out this issue before the campaign period begins in February next year.  Responding to queries from reporters after filing his certificate of candidacy at the Comelec headquarters in Manila, Escudero said he has yet to talk with Vice President Jejomar Binay, UNA chairman, on his supposed refusal to attend UNA's campaign sorties. “Wala pang napag-uusapan. Nababasa ko lang ‘yan sa pamahayagan. Unang beses pa lang kami nag-meet,” Escudero said.

 

He added that these campaign decisions should be resolved before the campaign period. “Tatlong buwan pa bago magsimula ang kampanya.”  Earlier, Binay said UNA's support for Escudero and Senator Loren Legarda will be withdrawn if the two refuse to attend UNA's campaign sorties as pronounced by the Liberal Party.  "Siguro 'di na namin ipagpapatuloy ang suporta sa kanila. Fair is fair," Binay said on Monday. "Pareho naman namin silang kandidato... bakit naman [mas] may matimbang...di naman tama."  Escudero, who is running as an independent bet of the ruling Liberal Party, is also a guest candidate of the UNA, the coalition of Binay's PDP-Laban and former President Joseph Estrada's Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

 

But the Bicolano senator recalled that during the 2007 elections, he joined only three out of 30 or 40 rallies. "Hindi ako nananampalataya sa mga campaign rally."  Escudero was a senatorial candidate of the Genuine Opposition in the 2007 polls.  

“(Naniniwala ako) sa mas makabago at makamurang kampanya gamit ng traditional at bagong media,” he said. Heart Evangelista

 

Also after filing his COC, Escudero was pressed whether he would ask his rumored girlfriend, actress Heart Evangelista, to join him during the campaign period. To which, Escudero laughed and said his personal life should not be meshed with his political work. “Hindi. Depende siguro. Hindi namin pinag-uusapan at wala pa kaming plano,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News