Left-wing congressmen seeking Senate seat

MILITANT CONGRESSMEN filed their candidacies for senator with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday.

Party-list Reps. Saturnino C. Ocampo (Bayan Muna) and Liza L. Maza (Gabriela), who have junked an alliance with the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Senator Manuel B. Villar, Jr., have decided to run as independent candidates after the NP allied with the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) of the Marcoses.

Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos (2nd district), who is also running for senator, filed his certificate of candidacy last Saturday.

"I am running for the position of senator because I want to represent in the Senate the truly poor and marginalized of our people and I wish to pursue my peace advocacy more effectively," Mr. Ocampo said yesterday in a statement.

Meanwhile, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani F. Fernando, who is running for president, is eyeing a possible tandem with Senator Richard J. Gordon.

Mr. Fernando said his camp has been wooing Mr. Gordon to be the running mate since early last week.

"We have been talking with him. We are also still in the process of looking at how we can communicate our platform with the people," he said in a radio interview yesterday.

Mr. Fernando quit administration Lakas-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) after losing the nomination to ex-Defense chief Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. two months ago.

Mr. Gordon confirmed Mr. Fernando’s offer. "He came to me twice… about his proposal, I have yet to decide on that. Definitely I’m still thinking about running for president, I don’t care if I win or lose, I just aspire to change the mind-set of the people," he said in a separate radio interview yesterday.

"With this development, everything is still open. I’m also considering running for senator," he added. -- J. F. S. Valdez