ANGELES CITY- Presidential aunt and former Tarlac governor Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco said here that despite her being a senatorial candidate of opposition party United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the Cojuangco clan has remained united.
In an interview with Punto here the other day, Cojuangco dismissed reports that her nephew Pres. Aquino had blamed her for having allegedly attempted to sabotage peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao.
“The President has not accused me. It was an anonymous source,” she said, while admitting she did not know the identity of the source.
“Who is that source? Why doesn’t he come out? He is so cowardly,” she added.
Cojuangco lamented that some sectors seem bent on driving a rift between her and the President. “Pinapag-away kami,” she noted.
But she stressed that the Cojuangcos remain united. “Family first all the time,” she stressed.
Cojuangco is the wife of Peping, the younger brother of the late former President Corazon Aquino.
She and some other UNA senatorial candidates were here for a “public meeting” at the Pampang public market.
Kambilan alliance
This, even as UNA senatorial bets expressed support for proposals for their party to ally with Kambilan, a local party founded by Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda. The local party virtually replaced the Kampi party of embattled former Pres. Arroyo. Almost all local officials in Pampanga have moved to the new local party.
Cojuangco said that while she had not heard of any plans for UNA to ally with Kambilan in Pampanga, she said this would be a welcome move. Except for four vice mayoral candidates, UNA does not have local candidates in Pampanga.
Senatoriable Nancy Binay also welcomed the move, saying that her father, UNA stalwart Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay had a “good working relationship” with Gov. Pineda, citing her father’s project on titling lands to beneficiaries of resettlement sites for Mt. Pinatubo eruption victims.
