Cartagena vows to lead signature drive for Noynoy
Ilonggo lawyer Daniel Cartagena vowed to spearhead the signature campaign here in Iloilo to encourage Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to run for president.
In an interview with Aksyon Radyo Iloilo yesterday, Cartagena said, ever since he is supportive of the idea to push Aquino to run for president as he believes he is the only presidentiable that has a moral ascendancy to run the nation.
Cartagena, however, said that he respects the decision of the Aquino family to reveal the final political plan of Noynoy after the 40-day mourning period for their mom Pres. Cory Aquino.
They will mark the 40th day of Mrs. Aquino’s death on September 9.
“I think history repeats itself in this scenario. In 1986 Cory was not actually the first choice to run for president, it was Doy Laurel. But, public demand and uncontrolled circumstances twisted the situation, Cory ran for president and Laurel slide down for the vice presidency. Right now there is persistent clamor for Noynoy to run for president even if Mar Roxas-Noynoy tandem is being flaunted. Eventually, it’s Noynoy’s decision that will prevail,” Cartagena said during the radio interview.
Cartagena believes Noynoy could be a strong uniting factor of the Filipinos comes 2010 election.
Meanwhile, in Metro Manila a signature campaign for Noynoy’s candidacy for president has already started.
The signature campaign is being spearheaded by a group that convinced Cory Aquino to run for president in the 1986 snap election called by dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
The campaign’s prime mover is Edgardo Roces, son of Joaquin “Chino” Roces, the newspaper publisher who began a signature campaign called Cory Aquino for President Movement 24 years ago.
The movement eventually persuaded Cory to run against Marcos in the presidential election on Feb. 7, 1986.
Cartagena clarified that the signature campaign for Noynoy that he will spearhead here in Iloilo is his own initiative and is not connected with the signature drive being undertaken by Roces and his group.
“Anyway we have the same objective which is to convince Noynoy Aquino to run for president,” Cartagena said.