The Liberal Party (LP) and Kaya Natin movement slammed the Arroyo administration on Monday for what they called its “vendetta politics” against at least three governors, whose victories in the 2007 local elections are now being subjected to recounting just because “they are LP members.”

This after they received reports that the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) second division will rule against Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca and Pampanga Gov. Ed Panililio on the recount cases filed against them by their political rivals in the 2007 polls.

“(This is) part of the grand plot by the present administration to oust duly elected officials particularly those who belonged to the Liberal Party,” said LP senatorial candidate and Bukidnon (2nd dist.) Rep. Teofisto Guingona III as he read the stand of Kaya Natin.

“This is vendetta politics in ensuring that those who are able to do stand up against the administration would be punished,” said another LP senatorial bet and Bukidnon politician, Nereus “Neric” Acosta.

Panlilio, a Roman Catholic priest who ran and won in the 2007 elections as Pampanga governor, is contesting a recall petition filed with the Comelec by former provincial board member Lilia Pineda, the wife of businessman Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, a well-known financier and staunch ally of President Arroyo.

Pineda, who lost to Panlilio by a margin of 1,147 votes, accused the winning politician-priest of cheating and initiated recount proceedings against him with the Comelec. The decision will be promulgated on December 16, said Commissioner Nicodermo Ferrer, head of Comelec’s second division.

In the case of Isabela province, Gov. Padaca is contesting a recall petition filed with the Comelec by former governor Bejamin Dy of the powerful Dy political clan. Citing unidentified sources, Padaca said the poll body’s second division will release its decision on Tuesday, December 8, in favor of Dy.

In a related case, the same Comelec division ruled against Bulacan Gov. Joselito Mendoza on an electoral protest filed against him by former Bulacan governor Roberto Pagdanganan. The decision was released after Mendoza’s Partido del Pilar coalesced with the LP for the 2010 polls.

“What do we have in common? We are LP members,” said Panlilio.

Recount cases against the three governors, however, had been filed even before they joined LP, whose presidential and vice president bets, Senators Benigno Aquino and Manuel Roxas II, have been leading the surveys.

But Guingona said Pacada and Panlilio did not have the money and machinery to rig the election results.

“We strongly belie the allegations of election fraud and cheating as absolutely false and baseless,” said Guingona, even as he called on the Comelec to “maintain its independence.”

Commissioner Ferrer, for his part, advised the two governors to wait for the poll body’s decision before making any judgment.

“Wag nilang siraan kami (They shouldn’t unjustly accuse us). Why don’t we just wait for the resolution, (maybe they’ll even) be taken by surpsise,” said Ferrer in a phone interview with GMANews.TV.

Ferrer added that the Comelec has been “very transparent” in conducting the recount cases. It has even invited the media and an independent poll watcher to witness the recounting, he said. – JV/GMANews.TV

A doctor and a cancer survivor on Tuesday night became the latest additions to the Liberal Party’s senatorial bets.

Doctor Martin Bautista and Muslim women advocate Yasmin Busran-Lao were introduced as the latest addition to LP’s senatorial ticket after they filed their respective certificates of candidacy (COCs) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) at past 8 p.m.

Bautista and Busran-Lao increased the number of LP senatorial bets to 11.

Bautista, who also ran for senator in 2004 under the Ang Kapatiran party, said he decided to run again for a Senate seat to help Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III, LP’s standard bearer, in his presidential bid.

“We need at this point a hero with a clear heart and a clean mind to bring transformative politics to our country,” he said.

“Ako po’y manggagamot sa Amerika. Kung tutuusin, hindi ko na po kailangang umuwi dito. Umuwi po ako upang tulungang sumulong ang ating bayan,” he added.

(I was a doctor in America. If you come to think of it, there was no need for me to go back here. But I went back to help our country move forward.)

Busran-Lao, a colon cancer survivor, vowed to continue her fight for gender justice for Muslim women if elected in the Senate

“Naniniwala po akong kaya kong baguhin ang takbo ng pulitika para makamit ang mga bagay na mahirap nating makamit, lalo na po ang kapayapaan sa Mindanao,” she said.

(I believe that I can change the face of politics to achieve the almost unachievable, especially peace in Mindanao.)

Joining the two in LP’s senatorial line-up are former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Socio-economic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto, Representatives Teofisto Guingona III, Nereus Acosta, Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, lawyer Alexander Lacson, detained Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Sonia Roco, wife of the late Sen. Raul Roco.

Bautista and Busran-Lao were accompanied by Sen. Aquino’s siblings, Pinky Abelleda and Viel Dee, when they filed their COCs. – KBK, GMANews.TV

The Liberal Party (LP) will be fielding a candidate to challenge President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s congressional bid in the second district of Pampanga province, a party official said on Tuesday.

Former Senate president and LP chairman Franklin Drilon, however, could not name the candidate, saying only that Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, who is LP’s chairman in the province, had informed them that they would be supporting someone.

“Si Governor Ed Panlilio ang namamahala. Nung nag-usap kami kahapon… may susuportahan na kandidato,” Drilon told newsmen at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Manila after filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) for senator under the LP ticket.

(Governor Ed Panlilio, who is handling our affairs in Pampanga, said we would be supporting a candidate there.)

The Liberal Party will be fielding a candidate against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Pampanga, former Senate President Franklin Drilon revealed after filing his certificate of candidacy at the Comelec on Tuesday.- Kim Tan

Earlier news reports said Panlilio was encouraging President Arroyo’s older half-sister Cielo Macapagal-Salgado, a former vice governor of the province, to run against her sibling.

But as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, President Arroyo’s sole opponent in Pampanga’s second district was one Feliciano Serrano, an independent candidate.

The period of filing of COCs will end at Tuesday midnight. President Arroyo personally filed her COC earlier in the day. [See: Arroyo formalizes House bid for Pampanga's 2nd district]

Drilon said it was obvious that President Arroyo’s motive is to protect herself from the possible cases that would be filed against her once she steps down from office on June 30, 2010.

“That is the motive. That is clear to the people,” he said as he urged Pampanga residents to elect somebody in Congress that would truly represent them. - with Andreo Calonzo/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV

Liberal Party (LP) senatorial bet Ralph Recto on Thursday said he was “surprised” to learn that he had caused the defection of fellow senatorial candidate Sergio Osmeña III from the political organization.

In a statement, Recto said he and his wife, actress and Batangas governor Vilma Santos, did not apply for LP membership but were invited by party leaders to join their ranks.

“Nasorpresa ako sa balita na nagbabalak ang aking kaibigang si Serge Osmeña na lumisan sa LP dahil sa pagsanib ko (I was surprised to learn that my friend, Sergio Osmeña, left LP because I joined it),” he said.

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Osmeña on Thursday said he had bolted the LP over differences with party leaders on the entry of Recto.

Sources said Osmeña questioned LP’s decision to accept Recto, who he said did not oppose or resist the Arroyo administration’s alleged corrupt practices when he was still a senator and a Cabinet secretary.

Recto denied this, saying he had opposed many measures being pushed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, among them moves to amend the 1987 Constitution and to adopt a national ID system.

“I have never allowed my party affiliation to get in the way of my principles,” Recto said. - GMANews.TV