Opposition coalition 1Sambayan announced that it will reveal its candidates for the 2022 elections in September, its lead convener said.
In a virtual presser, Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the coalition was still accepting nominations for its candidates for next year's polls.
"We have not closed the period for submitting nominations and we expect to complete our process by September," he said Friday, July 23.
"Some time, in the latter part of September, we may be able to announce the candidates of 1Sambayan," he added.
Last month, the coalition named six people included in their field of nominees for president and vice president:
- Vice President Leni Robredo
- Sen. Grace Poe
- Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto
- Deputy Speaker Eddie Villanueva
- Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
- Lawyer Chel Diokno
Carpio said the coalition likewise reached out to Senator Panfilo Lacson but the latter did not agree to be part of the process.
"We invited him but he declined and he announced his candidacy for president," he said.
Lacson recently confirmed that he will run for president in the 2022 polls with Senate President Vicente Sotto III as his running mate.
1Sambayan's selection process aimed to come up with a single slate of candidates who would go against administration bets in 2022.
Malacañang has downplayed the ability of 1Sambayan to field a winning candidate in the 2022 polls after the coalition said the public will reject the Duterte-Duterte tandem next year.
"See you on election day. Taumbayan po ang magdedesisyon diyan (The people will decide on that)," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque had said.