This is an article I wrote for Philippine Online Chronicle’s Blogwatch project. I attended the press conference myself with other members of Kabataan Partylist last November 24.

The Makabayan political coalition announced last November 24 the independent senatorial candidacies of Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza. The two have earlier been reported to be part of the senatorial slate of Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar as guest candidates. The decision came days after NP announced its alliance with the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) of the Marcos family.

Ocampo, who himself is a victim of political persecution during the late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos’ implementation of Martial Law, said that it is an insult to all victims of the dictatorship to form an alliance with the KBL, a party that Ocampo claims is a moribund party. Ocampo also reminded Villar that it was KBL which obliterated the NP and and other political formations during Martial Law to become the one-party machinery of the Marcos regime.

Though Ocampo and Maza were aware of talks that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., son of the former President, may also be part of the broad NP senatorial slate, the two agreed to be part of the same slate as long as the issues of justice and compensation to the families of victims of Martial Law and the recovery of the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses were not compromised. The earlier decision of Ocampo and Maza to form an alliance with NP was also achieved after Villar allegedly committed to and agreed on several other issues that the Makabayan coalition has been campaigning for. Among these are economic reforms through national industrialization and a review of bilateral, multilateral and regional economic agreements with foreign countries, genuine agrarian reform, and the prosecution of Pres. Gloria Arroyo and her kin for their involvement in many corruption scandals.

Ocampo and Maza, however, said that they were surprised and disappointed when Villar recently affirmed a statement by Bongbong Marcos saying that justice and compensation to the victims of the Marcos dictatorship should not anymore be an issue in the 2010 elections. This vacillation by Villar prompted the Makabayan coalition to postpone the announcement of Ocampo and Maza’s senatorial bid under NP, and to rethink its alliance with Villar’s party. It ultimately led to the decision for Ocampo and Maza to run as independents.

Ocampo and Maza said that though they will be running as independents, they shall continue to engage Villar in platform-based dialogues and commitments. They also said that talks are not closed among other opposition groups and candidates with whom the Makabayan coalition has been communicating with. Ocampo said that the coalition is still open to endorsing candidates and forming alliances with other opposition formations as long as they agree on and commit to the nationalist and pro-people platforms being pushed for by the coalition and its allied organizations and partylists. In engaging other politicians in such dialogues, the coalition seeks to influence the candidates on their platforms, gain post-election commitments on plans of actions, and raise the electoral discourse to issue-based discussions.