Even as the Comelec embarks on a slow canvassing of results of the senatorial and partylist contests and winning local candidates are being proclaimed one after another, many are trying to make sense of the outcome of the May 13, 2013 midterm elections.
Here are my initial post-mortem notes on the polls, 13 in all
Sen. Chiz Escudero today surprised the nation by announcing his resignation from the Nationalist People’s Coalition and begged for time to make a final decision on a possible presidential candidacy in 2010.
Speaking before media and supporters at Club Filipino, Escudero railed against party politics and attempted to tackle specific people’s issues — surprise! surprise! — as he explained his decision to resign from his erstwhile party:
PLEASE SEE UPDATES BELOW. Liberal Party President and Senator Mar Roxas II made the following “major and important announcement” tonight at the historic Club Filipino.
After months of being considered LP’s presidential candidate-in-waiting, Roxas formally gave way to partymate Senator Noynoy Aquino, son of former President Cory Aquino and former Sen. Ninoy Aquino. Noynoy and other LP leaders joined Roxas at the press conference.
Roxas could not have chosen a better date to make this announcement as it falls exactly a month after the death of President Aquino who herself took her presidential oath of office at the same venue.
However, Roxas did not directly state that he is open to be Aquino’s runningmate or whether he will abandon plans to run for higher office and instead run for reelection as senator next year.
Following are excerpts of Sen. Roxas’ statement: