BY JP LOPEZ

SEN. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said the planned so-called Third Force, which would field re-electionist senators, is a bait being dangled by Malacañang to cripple the United Opposition’s senatorial line-up in the May 2007 elections.

Earlier, Sen. Edgardo Angara said he would seek re-election only if fellow re-electionist senators could form a common ticket which would be independent of the administration and the opposition.

Senate majority leader Francis Pangilinan has said there were ongoing talks among senators who are eligible for another term.

Lacson said that before the congressional break last month, there were talks about fielding a common ticket but nothing has been agreed on yet.

"However, recently, our Mala-cañang mole said the administration is pushing for the formation of a ‘Third Force’ to be composed mainly of re-electionists and winnable candidates under the UNO slate with the purpose of crippling the opposition line-up," he said.

Lacson, Angara and Pangilinan are among incumbent senators who are eligible for re-election. The others are Manuel Villar, Ralph Recto, Luisa Ejercito-Estrada and Joker Arroyo.

"If (the formation of a Third Force is) true, I urge my colleagues to at least study the matter carefully before plunging into the proposal," Lacson said.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said even if the so-called Third Force could complete its line-up, "the history of third force in senatorial elections in the country has been very dismal."

Pro-administration Sen. Richard Gordon also pushed for the creation of a Third Force that would field senatorial candidates who are identified neither with the Estrada nor the administration camp.

"A third party will give the voting public a chance to choose from candidates that are not necessarily identified with the camp of former president Erap and Malacañang," he said.

Gordon said a third force bloc would provide the voting public the much-needed respite from the continued bickering of the Estrada camp and the administration.

He also said a possible Third Force could prevent the May elections from becoming a fight between pro-Estrada and pro-Arroyo candidates, which he said could lead to further polarization.

Gordon said voters must be able to choose candidates based on their qualifications and not because of the power blocs behind them.

Gordon, however, conceded that the opposition will have a big advantage in the May 14 elections.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the difficulty being encountered by the administration in forming a credible 12-man senatorial slate reflects the continuing public distrust toward President Arroyo because of doubts over the legitimacy of her rule and the unresolved controversies that have rocked government since she came to power.

Pimentel said it is embarrassing for the Palace that even senators whom it considers its allies and who won through the President’s help have spurned her overtures to join the administration ticket.

This, he said, is not only a big slap on Malacañang but also indicates that something is terribly wrong with the Arroyo administration.

In contrast, Pimentel said, senatorial aspirants of diverse political persuasions have been trekking to Tanay, Rizal, to court the endorsement of President Joseph Estrada.

"In my long life in politics, this is a phenomenon that I am witnessing happening in the country for the first time. It is the fact that here is a former president, who is behind bars technically speaking, who is being deluged with people seeking his blessing," he said.

"And here is an incumbent president who could not even seem to complete a senatorial slate at this point," he said.

Normally, he said, there should be a mad scramble for senatorial slots in the administration camp especially in a mid-term election, because the administration has the advantage in resources.

Pimentel said the excessive number of aspirants jostling to be included in the opposition’s senatorial ticket has caused a king-sized headache for the United Opposition, the major pillars of which are Partido ng Masang Pilipino, PDP-Laban and a faction of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

He expressed the hope the United Opposition will be able to put up a strong senatorial lineup without causing a split in its ranks.

UNO has said it will release its senatorial line-up by the end of this month.