Ilocos Marcoses commit to Team PNoy victory, says Drilon

The upcoming polls on May 13 may prove that the second generation of Aquino and Marcos families finally moved on from the deep-seeded rivalry between their political families during Martial Law years.

This, as Senator Franklin Drilon, campaign manager of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s senatorial slate, confirmed the commitment of the Marcoses to work for Team PNoy’s victory in Ilocos region.

“Our surveys show that in Regions I and II, we are consistently dominating polls there. We attribute this, of course, to the effort of out coalition partners in particular the Nationalista Party,” Drilon said.

“Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos has expressed her support for Team PNoy. We are confident that this coalition will hold until May 13,” the veteran senator told reporters.

Drilon issued the statement as he denied the need for all of President Aquino’s bets to personally campaign in Northern Luzon as a team.

In a press conference, Drilon said he is confident about the success of the individual campaigns that Team PNoy bets took in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

“Individually, TP members have been making sorties to the Ilocos region. The success of the sorties of our individual candidates is reflected in the surveys in Regions 1 and 2,” Drilon explained.

“It follows the national results of having 9 candidates in the top 12 and sometimes 8 in the top 12,” he noted.

Drilon, a ranking official of President Aquino’s Liberal Party, also assured support from another political leader in Ilocos Sur.

The acting chairman of Senate Committee on Finance is counting on Ilocos Sur Governor Luis Chavit Singson, who promised that a substantial majority of Team Pnoy will win in his province.

“In fact, he told me: “huwag na kayong pumunta sa Ilocos Sur, ako ng bahala doon.’ We are confident that with our coalition there with various political parties, we will prevail in regions 1 and 2,” Drilon said.

“He assured me that he will carry a big, substantial majority of the Team PNoy,” he noted.

But over the weekend, Singson vowed to support the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in what appeared to be an effort to make up with former President Joseph Estrada.

Singson said the mayors of the province would campaign for UNA, which is being led by the former president.

Singson’s accusation about illegal numbers game in his region was instrumental to Estrada’s ouster in 2001.