SEN. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Sunday emphasized the need for the opposition to unite for the 2022 presidential elections, warning that a divided opposition will stand no chance against the candidates of the administration.

The senator supported the move of some groups to come up with an “alternative” administration.

“Kailangang magkaisa (It is necessary to unite),” said Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party (LP).

“For unity to be achieved, we must set aside our differences and focus not on what divides us but on what unites us,” he said in a statement.

“Setting aside our differences to achieve unity is paramount,” he added.

Pangilinan echoed the sentiments of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo that the opposition should field one candidate for the presidency to go against the administration’s candidate.

“She said we have to have one candidate because we need to unite. Otherwise, if there are three or four candidates there is a big chance that the administration would still win [in the 2022 national polls]. And she also said it does not have to be her,” he said.

Asked to clarify if the LP is willing to support a candidate outside the party if Robredo will not run for president in 2022, Pangilinan said he supports

Sen. Franklin Drilon’s stand on the matter.

“He (Drilon) said that if VP (Vice President) Leni decides that she would not run [for president], we are ready to talk with other [possible candidates] who are not LP members. That we can agree [with them] to set aside our differences to unite and provide an alternative to the current administration’s choices,” Pangilinan said.

He stressed that before talking about whom to field in the next elections, the opposition leaders should inspire the people to register for the elections.

Based on the population projections of the Philippine Statistics Authority and data from the Commission on Elections, around 15 million eligible voters have yet to register.