No ‘guest candidate’ in LP senatorial line up

By Mar S. Arguelles

LEGAZPI CITY --- Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday disclosed the Liberal Party rejected the idea of accepting “guest candidates” in their senatorial lineup saying it would stick with the party decision to field only eight candidates carrying the banner of the party.

Robredo said this is one issue (guest candidate) that the party leaders have deliberated on where the majority decided not to adopt guest candidates in the senatorial line up.

She said during the party selection at least 19 aspirants underwent the process where other

party leaders were suggesting to push for a complete slate of 12 candidates.

Robredo who is the LP chairperson in an interview said, “Isa ako doon sa nakipaglaban na walo lang (I was one of those who fought that there should be only eight); this way it would send a strong message that popularity would not be a basis in winning an election.”

“It is against all odds but it is worth the risk if only to prove a point that this can be done and we believe in the [winnability of the] party’s candidates,” she pointed out.

She said the party selection process was not based on popularity but rather on the candidates’ ability to believe on the party’s objectives, its political platforms, and party discipline.

She said that due to lack of resources to engage in an election campaign this mid-term election, the party would launch a “people’s campaign” where the party would accept volunteers who would sign up to assist us in the campaign.

“This is a new approach where the volunteers would do the campaigning for the party candidate rather than the traditional practice where the party would rely on politicians to do the campaigning,” Robredo said.