SENATE PRIB

FORMER senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, IV has left the Liberal Party (LP) to lead a political group founded in 2022 as part of his preparations for the midterm polls next year.

Centrist Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KANP) said it has named Mr. Aquino, cousin of the late president Benigno S. Aquino, III, as its new chairman in preparation for the polls in 2025.

The party said in a press release his chairmanship is a significant step as the party boosts its membership ahead of the senatorial elections in 2025.

Mr. Aquino said the party will present itself as “a viable alternative for Filipinos weary of traditional politics and politicians.”

The former senator was able to pass 50 laws, including a free education law, during his six-year term in Congress.

Mr. Aquino, who was advising the party prior to his new post, served as campaign manager of 2022 presidential candidate Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo, who lost to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. by a landslide.

The nephew of the late senator and democracy icon Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr., failed in his reelection bid in 2019. None of the opposition candidates won at that time.

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno failed in his bid as the only senatorial bet of KANP. Only Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel was able to secure a Senate seat among oppositionists at that time.

Mr. Aquino’s partymates from the LP welcomed his decision to lead a young political group, with LP spokesperson and former senator Leila M. de Lima expressing confidence that he would be able to turn KANP “into a political party to reckon with and carry it to even greater heights amid an uncertain political landscape and other challenges.”

LP President and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Albay Rep. Edcel said Mr. Aquino will lead a party of “young bloods who have emerged as the faces of good governance in Philippine politics.”

Ms. De Lima recently welcomed Mr. Marcos’ creation of a human rights coordinating body, saying it is “a step in the right direction” and “shows that his administration is prioritizing human rights and intends to engage the issue at a higher and more focused level.”

In February, she described the administration as a “breathing room” after former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s war on drugs that had killed thousands mostly in poverty-stricken communities and his policies that had vilified critics and activists.

She said LP is willing to work with Mr. Marcos on key programs, especially on good governance, if it means holding his predecessor to account. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

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