The leader of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) is treading softly on the formation of 1Sambayan as a political force in the 2022 presidential elections.
Queried on whether or not NPC is open to join 1Sambayan, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, NPC chairman, said: ‘’To each his own.’’
Sotto earlier said that his party is in an alliance with the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) in the House of Representatives.
"We have not discussed any other,’’ he added.
President Duterte chairs the PDP-Laban, a party formed by the late Senate President Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel on December 16, 1988.
Boxing icon Senator Emmanuel ‘’Manny’’ Pacquiao took over PDP-Laban presidency from former Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III last December 2. Pacquiao nurtures presidential ambitions.
The Laban Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) formed in September1988, meanwhile, is silent on this issue, saying it is still early to talk politics.
Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny’’ M. Angara is the party president.
The 1Sambayan, a "pro-democracy" group led by former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, was launched last Thursday.
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, one of the main convenors of the coalition, said that the party’s primacy is "to unite so that we can choose a singular presidential candidate and a singular vice president for the next election in 2022."
The group is initially considering Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Nancy Binay and Grace Poe, and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for their election line-up.
Aside from Carpio and Romulo, other convenors and supporters of 1Sambayan include former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, former Education Secretary Armin Luistro, former Commission on Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers chairman Neri Colmenares, among others.