Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday openly expressed her inclination to push through a long-debated merger between two major political parties in the ruling coalition.
Arroyo said in a speech delivered at a key coalition meeting that the merger of Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and Kabalikatng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) has the benefits of "combining the talents and resources of two parties and make it a powerhouse team."
The president's message came amid a leadership change in Lakas CMD, the largest bloc of ruling coalition, as disgraced former House Speaker Jose De Venecia officially announced his resignation as the party's long-standing chief.
Prospero Nograles, who succeeded De Venecia as Speaker of the House Representatives last month, is expected to take over the Lakas-CMD's top post.
The merger issue was raised years ago but little progress had been seen during the period when De Venecia ran Lakas-CMD. Opponents have said the merger "would only disrupt the administration's coalition as members of both parties would jockey for position for favors from the administration," a GMA News report said.
Even trivial matters such as how the post-merger party should be named have become an obstacle that is hard to overcome. Laks-CMD members insisted it should be Las-CMD-Kampi while Kampi members preferred the naming sequence to be revered.
But political analysts have expected the shake-up within the coalition as the friction between President Arroyo, the founder of Kampi, and De Venecia, the co-founder of Lakas CMD, escalated to the level of showdown.
Source:Xinhua
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