MANILA, Philippines - A transport group leader said Thursday that fielding Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes as a party-list nominee in the May 10 elections is allegedly part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's "grand plan" to stay in power.

“Wala na siyang (Reyes) pupuntahan kapag natapos si GMA (Arroyo). Ang pagtakbo ni Reyes ay bahagi ng grand plan ni GMA na dumugin ng mga alipores niya ang 15th Congress para matiyak na maging House Speaker at makabalik sa Malacañang bilang prime minister,” George San Mateo, president of transport group Piston, told ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda.

(Reyes has nowhere to go after GMA. Reyes’s [supposed] party-list bid is part of GMA’s grand plan to bring all her allies in the 15th Congress and make sure she gets the House speakership and eventually return to Malacañang as prime minister.)
 
San Mateo was reacting to confirmations of officials of 1-UTAK party-list that Reyes has been picked as its nominee. 1-Utak party-list Rep. Rigor Mendoza said that Reyes was selected as the group’s first nominee in a balloting held a few weeks ago.

Mendoza, however, clarified that the party-list group has yet to finalize Reyes’s nomination.

Orlando Marquez, the party-list group’s spokesman, said they were still waiting for the balloting results from their regional members before finalizing the energy secretary’s nomination.

Marquez said they will submit the list of the party-list group’s nominees before March 15.

San Mateo said they will file a disqualification case against Reyes before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as soon the list is filed.

He said that it would be preposterous to nominate Reyes as a transport group representative.

San Mateo accused Reyes of conniving with big oil companies in maintaining high prices of fuel products, which made life worse for the transport sector.

“First of all, Reyes is not from a marginalized sector. It’s funny the person responsible for the drivers' and consumers’ ordeal will represent them. We will not allow Reyes to represent us in Congress!” he said.

Reports said Reyes has announced that he was open to accepting the nomination.

Several other Cabinet secretaries are running for Congress in May 10.

They are Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, and Presidential Management Staff chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

Mrs. Arroyo herself is running for a seat in Congress as representative of Pampanga’s 2nd district.

Her son, incumbent Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Mikey Arroyo, was reportedly named as nominee of party-list group candidate AGP, which represents security guards.

Incumbent Education Secretary Jesli Lapus is also reportedly running as representative of ABAKADA party-list group that represents educators. -- With reports from Alvin Elchico, ABS-CBN News and ANC