The National Unity Party said Tuesday it was ready to sign an alliance agreement with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's Hugpong ng Pagbabago regional party, seeking to form a coalition for the 2022 elections
Reggie Velasco, NUP deputy secretary general for political affairs, said the party previously forged an alliance with Hugpong for the 2019 elections and they have no problem with renewing it for next year's polls.
"We're ready to sign the agreement anytime. Basically, it's the same as the last agreement in 2018. So we have no problem with that," he told reporters in an interview.
NUP is one of the five national parties seeking an alliance with Hugpong, according to the regional party's secretary general Anthony Del Rosario, but "everything is on hold" at present as they are still trying to come up with an agreement that is acceptable to all parties.
In a draft agreement, one of the provisions is that Hugpong will choose the coalition's presidential and vice presidential candidates for the 2022 elections and come up with the senatorial lineup.
Velasco said Hugpong would not necessarily dictate the coalition's candidates for next year's polls.
"May consultations yan bago ilabas yung common presidential candidate. But under the draft agreement, kung sino yung sasabihin nila, susuportahan ng partido," he said.
"Maraming factors to consider din kasi independent naman yung mga political parties kahit may alliance agreement diyan e. So it will all depend on the agreement later," he added.
Apart from NUP, Del Rosario said other parties seeking alliance with Hugpong are the Lakas-CMD party, the Nacionalista Party, the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino party, and the People's Reform Party.
Lakas-CMD president Martin Romualdez said the party will extend its full and unqualified support to whoever Hugpong will choose as presidential and vice presidential candidate next year.
The party last month decided to renew its alliance with Hugpong to ensure "the preservation of the country’s democratic processes to further pursue a strong nation."
