SEN. Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd’s bid to run for president and vice president, respectively, will likely split the votes for the administration candidates in 2022, a convenor of an opposition coalition said.

At the@ same timeL lawyer Howard Calleja of 1Sambayan told an online press briefing on Friday that the coalition was hopeful that “democratic forces composed of the opposition will still unite” behind a single candidate to beat the administration party

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, lead convenor of 1Sambayan, expressed confidence that they would be able to anoint their standardbearer before the filing of certificates of candidacy in October.

Carpio said it was “very possible to have a unified ticket.”

“It’s still very early, and really, the tickets are formed after the filing. Even after candidates file their certificates of candidacy, they still continue to form coalitions,” Carpio said.

Carpio said they were still in the process of accepting nominations and were positive that they would be able to announce the coalition’s official candidates by September.

Carpio said Lacson, who has declined to be part of their selection process, is the author of the Anti-Terror Law that was

criticized by the public.

Carpio, however, said 1Sambayan remains open and “very inclusive” to all potential candidates.

Carpio said 1Sambayan was “trying to form a bigger coalition” by “talking to a lot of political parties, a lot of NGOs (nongovernment organizations).”

Calleja said politicians signifying their intent to run in the May 9, 2022 polls may still change their minds “and I wouldn’t be surprised that some of them [will be] joining us in the future.”

The 1Sambayan in June nominated vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th Sen Mary@ grace Poe Cibac party-list Rep. Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva, Batangas Sixth District Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto and lawyer jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno as its presidential and vice presidential candidates

Only Robredo and Trillanes have not declined the nomination.

Ex-VP Binay joins NPC

But even as 1 Sam bayan is seeking to consolidate, so is the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) as Lacson and Sotto met with former vice president Jejomar Binay to form a “united PH alliance.”

Davao del Norte First District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez confirmed on Saturday that he met with Binay, who is joining the NPC as a senatorial candidate.

Also present were Clint Aranas, secretary-general of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA); former Makati First District representative Manuel Monsour del Rosario 3rd; and former LPGMA representative Arnel Ty.

Sotto had announced that Binay will be running for senator under the NPC, which he heads.

Binay, who is with UNA, was vice president during the Aquino 3rd administration from 2010 to 2016.

With Binay taking the 11th senatorial slot in the Lacson-Sotto ticket, one more remained to be filled up by either Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian or Sen Richard gordon

Gatchalian, an NPC member, was also reported as eyeing the vice presidency, while Gordon may try his luck again in the presidential race

Binay lost to then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 presidential race.

If he wins in 2022, the former vice president will be joining his daughter, Sen. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, in the Senate. The younger Binay is currently the president of UNA.

Sotto announced on July 21 the first 12 possible senatorial candidates under the NPC: former senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Gatchalian, Gordon, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan 2nd, former Commission on Elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, Rep. Loren Legarda, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, Sen. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, actor Robin Padilla, broadcaster Raffy Tulfo and TV host Willie Revillame.

Sotto said everything would be finalized during the NPC assembly on July 28. Sotto said he was unfazed by recent pre-election surveys showing Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as the probable frontrunner in the presidential race.

Lacson and Sotto’s campaign is@ anchored@ on@ “Kakayahan, Katapatan, Katapangan” (Competence, Honesty, Courage).