Villar, Cayetano, Marcos in Nacionalista senate slate

The Nacionalista Party (NP) will field three women in the 2019 senatorial elections, NP chairman Sen. Cynthia Villar said yesterday.

Aside from Villar, who will seek reelection, the other two women will be Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano.

Villar said the NP is revitalizing its alliance with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the ruling PDP-Laban to form a coalition for the 2019 elections.

“No political party can endorse a full senatorial slate or else you’ll have many losers,” Villar told journalists

She said the NP, NPC and PDP-Laban have their respective initial lists of possible senatorial bets, who would likely be “guest candidates” of all the parties in the coalition.

Villar said each party in the coalition is expected to strongly lobby for their respective senatorial bets for inclusion in the administration’s 12-member slate.

When asked about Imee’s political plans, the senator said: “She’s campaigning.”

Cayetano and Villar are in the initial list of candidates of the PDP-Laban.

Villar said Imee’s chances of winning could be reduced if her brother, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, would decide to seek the same post.

The son and namesake of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos is currently protesting his defeat to Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2016 elections.