Unity Ticket Bid Fails in Philippines : Laurel to Stay in Race, Says Aquino Reneged on Accord

Former Sen. Salvador Laurel said today he will stay in the race for president of the Philippines in the February elections, declaring that Corazon Aquino reneged on an agreement that would have slated her on top of a unified opposition ticket.

“I agreed to give way to Mrs. Aquino” and run for vice president on the condition that she run on the ticket of the United Democratic Organization (UNIDO), his party, Laurel told a packed press conference here. He said she consented on Thursday, but reversed herself in a meeting this morning, an hour before the press conference at which Laurel was expected to announce he would run for the second spot.

“For reasons undisclosed, she told me she is not willing to run as the UNIDO candidate,” he said. “This sudden and unexpected refusal . . . leaves me no choice now but to decline her offer to run as her vice president.

‘Cannot Sacrifice Party’

“I can sacrifice myself. I can sacrifice the presidency. But I cannot sacrifice my party and my principles.”

He said he would file his candidacy for president Monday. An Aquino spokesman disputed Laurel’s version of the talks and said Aquino had agreed to run under the joint banner of UNIDO and her own coalition group, Laban ng Bayan.

Supporters of both candidates said attempts would be made to resolve the differences, but for now the political opposition to President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ 20-year rule here seems badly split.

“The door is open any time, if she decides to be my vice president,” Laurel told a reporter after the press conference.

His chief adviser, Rene Espino, said the Aquino camp “was asking us to commit hara-kiri.”

‘Faceless’ Advisers

“It’s all up to Cory,” said Luis Villafuerte, another UNIDO stalwart. “She consults faceless and nameless advisers and changes her mind. If she wants to be president, Cory Aquino must learn how to decide for herself.”

Appearing later at her home, Aquino read a statement and told reporters: “I remain optimistic that we who offer ourselves as the hope of this nation will rise to the occasion and finally and unconditionally make the sacrifices now demanded of us.”

She extended to Laurel an invitation to form “an Aquino-Laurel ticket for president and vice president under a new grand coalition to be called UNIDO-Laban ng Bayan.”

She did not say how the proposed coalition would differ from the failed attempt at unity. Saying she had had a sleepless night and was more tired than she had ever been in her life, Aquino declined to answer reporters’ questions.

Laurel’s personal ambitions were clearly a factor in the collapse of opposition unity, but practical party politics seemed more important in today’s announcement. Laurel and his aides are seeking certification of UNIDO as the so-called dominant opposition party for the Feb. 7 elections. Such a designation by the Commission on Elections would authorize UNIDO to appoint one of the three examiners at polling places, presumably increasing the party’s influence on election day.

In his remarks, Laurel also hailed his party as the opposition’s largest and strongest, pointing out that UNIDO won most of the opposition seats in the 1984 parliamentary election, when Marcos’ ruling KBL Party lost one-third of the assembly seats.

Filing Deadline

Wednesday is the deadline for filing presidential and vice presidential candidacies. If a last-minute agreement cannot be reached, both Laurel and Aquino are expected to file for president, presenting the prospect of a split opposition on the ballot against Marcos, a situation that political analysts say would probably assure a Marcos victory.

A third contender for the presidency, Eva Estrada Kalaw, withdrew Saturday, saying the field was “too crowded.” But Kalaw, the nominee of one wing of the Liberal Party, said she would seek the vice presidency.

Laurel had been a declared candidate and the nominee of the UNIDO party since June. He was in the United States on Nov. 3 when Marcos called for the snap elections in an American television interview. The pre-martial law senator, 57, returned to the Philippines a few days later and declared himself best qualified for the top spot.

Picked Up Steam

With Aquino refusing for more than a month to declare her candidacy, Laurel’s campaign appeared to pick up steam. The momentum was broken in a meeting of the National Unification Committee, the opposition umbrella group established to choose a unity candidate for president.

In a dispute with NUC co-chairman Cecilia Munoz-Palma, Laurel reportedly pointed his finger at her and accused her of dictatorial methods. He later said he raised his voice only because he was told he could not be heard, but the damage was done. The elderly Palma said that she had never before been treated so harshly in a long public life as a judge and member of Parliament.

Laurel’s apologies and explanations could not erase what appeared to be a breach of chivalry. The Palma incident and the suspense raised by Aquino’s long delay in declaring her candidacy, finally announced Dec. 5, slowed the bandwagon efforts of the Laurel camp.

Laurel More Subdued

Once Aquino said she would run, Laurel seemed more subdued, and talked of flexibility in his private negotiations with her. Aquino, 52, is the wife of assassinated opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr.

“The objective of the meetings was to discuss the possibility of joining forces and coming out with a single opposition slate,” Laurel told the press conference today. He said they agreed on two points: “that the Marcos dictatorship must be defeated and dismantled,” and “that we must join forces.”

“What took a little more time,” he said, “was the question of who should give way to the other.”