The Liberal Party (LP) announced the 12-person senatorial slate at the LP headquarters in Balay, Cubao, Quezon City Monday.
The slate is composed of three women and 9 men who are veteran senators/former senators, former Cabinet members, Aquino appointees, and sectoral representatives.
The 12 are:
1. Senate President Franklin Drilon
2. Senator Ralph Recto
3. Senator Teofisto Guingona III
4. Former senator and former food security czar Francis Pangilinan
5. Former senator and former Yolanda rehabilitation chief Panfilo Lacson
6. Outgoing Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
7. Former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla
8. Former TESDA Director General Secretary Joel Villanueva
9. Outgoing TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid
10. PhilHealth Director and former Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros
11. COOP NATCCO Party List Representative Cresente Paez
12. DILG Assistant Secretary for Muslim Affairs and Special Concerns and former Maguindanao officer-in-charge Nariman Ina Ambolodto
Lacson was absent at the LP event but he already filed his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections main office on Monday.
Drilon, dubbed the "Big Man sa Senado," introduced his fellow candidates of the coalition during the event. He drew laughs after he described De Lima as the "woman with balls," and said Lapid is more handsome than his father, action star and incumbent Sen. Lito Lapid.
Of all the candidates, only Paez's and Ambolodto's names come as a surprise. Drilon described Paez as a dynamic civil society leader who is passionate about fighting for marginalized sectors.
On the other hand, Ambolodto is described as a "bakwit" or internally displaced person from Kabuntalan who had to flee to the riverbanks of Cotabato City.
She attended Notre Dame High School for Girls and Notre Dame University where she received a degree in banking and finance. She also received a Master of Arts at the University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies.
House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, who was named general campaign manager of Team Daang Matuwid, said it is his hope that the 12-man slate will sweep the elections next year. Congressmen Miro Quimbo (Marikina) and Barry Gutierrez (Akbayan) were named spokespersons of the campaign.
In an interview before the event, Ambolodto, a surprise senatorial candidate and a newbie in national elections, said she will push for women's rights, continue the peace process in Mindanao and improve lives of the poor.
For her part, De Lima said her agenda is to focus on human rights, electoral reform and equal justice for all.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
