Genuine Opposition

Genuine Opposition
LeaderManny Villar
FounderJejomar Binay
Founded2007 (2007)
Dissolved2010 (2010)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Political parties
SloganIsang boto lang po, laban sa nakaupo (lit.'One vote against the incumbent')

The Genuine Opposition (GO) was an electoral alliance in the Philippines that contested the 2007 Philippine general election. The alliance's members were in opposition to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It was originally called the United Opposition (UNO), founded by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in June 2005 to unite all politicians who wanted to impeach President Arroyo. UNO then reorganized itself and changed its name to Grand and Broad Coalition (GBC), with the UNO party under that coalition. On February 15, 2007, the group changed its name again to Genuine Opposition after a meeting with Senate President Manny Villar due to the defection of senators Edgardo Angara, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, and Tito Sotto to Arroyo's senatorial slate, TEAM Unity.

In the Senate election, GO won seven of the 12 contested seats. They gained one more seat in 2011 after an electoral protest, through which GO's Koko Pimentel replaced TEAM Unity's Migz Zubiri.[1] However, GO failed to dominate the House of Representatives.

Coalition members

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Mainstream party members:

Background

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The United Opposition coalition was created by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in June 2005 to unite all politicians who wished to impeach President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The UNO started scouting candidates for the Senate as early as October 2006 to claim a large share of the Senate seats. In January 2007, UNO started short-listing its nominees after many interested personalities wanted to join the opposition. The UNO changed its name on February 12, 2007, at the Club Filipino in San Juan, Metro Manila, to "Grand and Broad Coalition" (GBC). On February 15, 2007, the group changed its name again to "Genuine Opposition" (GO) after a meeting with Senate President Manny Villar in his office in Las Piñas. GO became the opposition coalition with eight parties under its wing, including its predecessor, UNO. Though Senate President Manny Villar and Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan are running under the opposition, they remain independent candidates as in the 2001 election. On February 28, 2007, the Genuine Opposition dropped Francis Pangilinan as its adopted candidate. After the elections, GO reverted to being the United Opposition, with Binay as head, but still maintaining the support of the other parties that comprised GO.

Slogans

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The first slogan is "PLAN Co REVOLT" (lit.'My Plan Is to Revolt'), meaning "Revolt against corruption and poverty". It is an acronym of the candidates' names, with P standing for Pimentel, L standing for Legarda, A standing for Alan, N standing for Noynoy, Co standing for Coseteng, R standing for Roco, E standing for Escudero, V standing for Villar, O standing for Osmeña, L standing for Lacson, and T standing for Trillanes.

The second slogan is "Isang boto lang po, laban sa nakaupo" (transl. 'One vote against the incumbent').

Senatorial slate

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Name Party Occupation Elected
Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III Liberal Representative from Tarlac (1998–2007) Yes
Alan Peter Cayetano Nacionalista Representative from Taguig-Pateros (1998–2007) Yes
Nikki Coseteng Independent Former senator (1992–2001) and former Quezon City Representative (1987–1992). No
Francis Escudero NPC House Minority Floor Leader (2001–2007) and Representative from Sorsogon (1998–2007) Yes
Panfilo Lacson UNO Senator (2001–present), former Chief of the Philippine National Police. Yes
Loren Legarda NPC Former senator (1998–2004). Yes
John Henry Osmeña UNO Former senator (1971–1972; 1987–1995; 1998–2004). No
Koko Pimentel PDP–Laban Lawyer Yes
Sonia Roco Aksyon Educator No
Antonio Trillanes UNO Detained military officer, leader of the Magdalo group and the leader of the Oakwood Mutiny in Makati in 2003. Yes
Manny Villar Nacionalista Former Speaker of the House and former Senate President (2006–2008) and senator (2001–present). Yes

Campaign team

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rood, Steven (August 10, 2011). "Philippine senator resigns seat in election controversy with deep roots". asiafoundation.org. The Asia Foundation. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2022.