Opposition coalition 1Sambayan is not closing its doors to Senator Manny Pacquiao and two other senators to be included in its list of nominees for the May 2022 elections.
1Sambayan convenor Howard Calleja revealed they are still open to talk to Pacquiao, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and Senate President Vicente Sotto III before the release of their final list of nominees for president and other national candidates on June 12.
“We are still open in as much as we are open to talk to talk to Senator Ping, or Senator Tito Sen if there is any opportunity,” Calleja, a lawyer, said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s News Channel.
“I am sure that we can see if there is something common that we can talk about or join with Senator Manny. As I said, things may not be perfect, but we can find a commonality among us, if that is possible,” he added.
In March, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, a lead convenor of 1Sambayan, said that the boxer-turned-politician is unfit to run for a national post because of his absenteeism in both houses of Congress.
READ: ‘Let records speak for itself’, Pacquiao tells Carpio after questioning competence
Lacson, on the other hand, declined 1Sambayan’s nomination offer because of Carpio’s misgivings about making him a presidential bet, with the former justice saying that it would be “inconsistent” and “incongruous” for the coalition to endorse and be identified with one of the authors and principal sponsors of the Anti-Terrorism Law.
The senator sponsored the controversial Anti-Terrorism Law during Senate deliberations.
Lacson is considering to take another shot at the presidency next year. If he does, he said Sotto will be his running mate.
1Sambayan, a pro-democracy coalition formed in March this year, will present the list of nominees for president on Saturday to jumpstart the process of picking a “united choice” for the opposition’s standard-bearer.
READ: 1Sambayan dismisses ‘yellow’ tag: ‘We are a broad coalition’
Calleja noted that Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, and Senator Grace Poe have already agreed to participate in the selection process.
“I can name them now because we have already stated that we have talked to them previously,” he said, referring to the four politicians.
“But we have one or two that we will add to that list come June 12,” the 1Sambayan convenor added.