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By Sammy Martin, Reporter
ONCE Senate President Manny
Villar concurs with the administration’s programs and policies,
his Nacionalista Party could easily forge an alliance with the
Arroyo administration, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said
Thursday.
Nograles said
that he is not closing the doors of the ruling Lakas party, and is
even enticing other political parties interested in an alliance with
them. However, those who want to be an ally of Lakas must share the
same vision of creating a “solid and strong republic.”
“As president
of Lakas, we envision one solid and strong republic with one strong
administration party starting with the two largest, Lakas and Kampi
[Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino], but never to the exclusion of our
other allies who are supportive of the administration’s programs
and policies,” Nograles said.
Earlier, Villar
said the Nacionalista Party (NP), which he heads, is prepared for
a possible alliance with Lakas.
Likewise, Lakas
chairman emeritus former President Fidel Ramos said the NP and other
political parties must join forces to expand the choice of
candidates for the 2010 presidential elections.
Villar doubts if
his party could coalesce with other political parties, such as the
Liberal Party that already proclaimed Sen. Mar Roxas 2nd as their
bet in 2010.
Optimistic on Lakas-Kampi
merger
Nograles said he
remains optimistic that the ongoing effort to merge Lakas and Kampi
will materialize in time in preparation for the 2010 national polls,
including possible alliances with other political parties.
“I’m still
very positive that we can have this merger although I am not
discounting the possibility that some areas in the local level will
remain a free zone. On the overall, I’ll be very happy if we can
achieve a 95-percent success rate at uniting the local leaders,
including rival groups, who are either with Lakas or Kampi,”
Nograles explained.
Nograles told
House reporters that his concentration for now is to finalize the
merger of Lakas and Kampi, which will create the strongest political
party in the country.
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