UNA wants to turn PNoy into a lame duck president, says Drilon

MANILA, January 30, 2013-Senator Franklin M. Drilon, the campaign manager of Team PNoy today said the victory of the administration senatorial candidates in the May 2013 elections will thwart any plan of the opposition to turn President Aquino into a lame duck leader in the next three years.

Drilon, a Liberal Party stalwart, also stressed that the victory of the administration’s senatorial bets in the upcoming elections will play a crucial role in escalating the reforms that President Aquino intends to do in the last three years of his governance.

“In the last three years of this administration, the opposition is trying to make this administration a lame duck. We are conscious of that. The President is conscious of that. We draw the line and we will not be lame duck. We will have the majority of the people with us because we still have reforms to do,” emphasized Drilon.

“That’s a challenge for us. We will show that for the next three years, we will do things correctly; we will do things in a manner that a decent right-thinking will do regardless of politics,” he added.

Drilon also said the President is ready to campaign for his team to ensure its victory in order to help him push the reform measures he wants to see in the next three years.

“He is not afraid to spend his political capital because there are a lot of reforms that he has to do in the last three years of his administration and it is essential that he should have the majority in the Senate in order that he can push these reforms,” explained Drilon.

“The platform of the President is daang matuwid. The President is taking his political capital on this advocacy. He has chosen a team that he will tell in his people: give me the majority in the Senate that can help me push my programs for the last three years,” he added.

Drilon also challenged the rival party, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), to define the lines by coming out as the opposition.

“Let’s define the lines. We are the administration; you are the opposition. There is nothing wrong with that. In democracy, opposition is necessary,” he said.

“We have to do that because we want to define where we are and where they are. In my 15 years of experience in the Senate, I have proven that this is the most unmanageable group. Look, in the recent past and even today, can you tell me who is in the majority and the minority in the Senate?” ended Drilon.