Philippines Election 2013: Just Around The Corner

It’s Election time once again in the Philippines.It was just recently the Philippines Commission of Election has released the first batch of the list of Senatorial candidates. Once again the list of candidates  proved that in politics there are no permanent allies or enemies.  In fact running under the administration’s coalition is the wife of a strict opponent of President Aquino in the presidential election,  Senator  Manny Villar. In the last presidential elections tensions were high because  there was a lot of mud-slinging between the opposing camps during the campaign period. Even Senator  Allan Peter Cayetano a known critic of President Aquino when he was just running in the Presidential election is included  in the  presidential ticket

Included among the list of candidates for senator running under the coalition administration of President Aquino or Team Pnoy are Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara, Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, former senator Ramon "Jun" B. Magsaysay Jr., Jamby Madrigal, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Allan Peter Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Rissa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Koko Pimentel, Grace Poe Llamansares, and Chiz Escudero. The Presidential ticket is a Coalition composed of different political parties namely the Liberal Party, NPC, NP, LDP, Akbayan and National Unity Party (NUP).

On the other camp, the United Nationalist Alliance of former president Joseph Estrada's Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Vice President Jejomar Binay's Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan which is said to be not really an opposition camp is made up of Ms.  Nancy Binay, Senator Gringo Honasan, Ernesto Maceda, Richard Gordon, Juan Miguel Zubiri, San Juan City Representative JV Ejercito, Cagayan Representative Jack Enrile, Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay, former Tarlac Governor Margarita Cojuangco. Even Senator Loren Legarda, Senator Chiz Escudero, and Grace Poe-Llamansares who are guest candidate in the rival Administarion Coalition are included.

Other coalitions are the left-leaning Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan, the Catholic Church-supported Ang Kapatiran, Bangon Pilipinas Party of televangelist Eddie Villanueva, the Democratic Party of the Philippines, the Social Justice Society. There are also other unknown personalities who have expressed their intent to run for Senator.

Yes, the campaign circus is back in town with the up and coming 2013 mid-term election. Who are on the candidate list? Looking at it, there are as star-studded or is almost the same list of names as the previous ones. This coming election success depends on the Filipino people and what have been learned from past elections.