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| Senate President Franklin Drilon, vice chairman of the Liberal Party, said he sees Vice President Jejomar Binay as the sole contender against Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who has yet to declare his presidential bid. Philstar.com/AJ Bolando, file photo |
MANILA, Philippines - The presidential derby in 2016 will be a fight
between Vice President Jejomar Binay and Interior and Local Government
Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the ruling Liberal Party’s presumptive candidate.
Senate President Franklin Drilon, vice chairman of the Liberal Party,
sees this scenario even as President Aquino, the LP president, has been
actively discussing political plans with Sen. Grace Poe and will soon meet with
Francis Escudero.
Drilon said he sees Binay as the sole contender against Roxas, who has
yet to declare his presidential bid.
“That’s just what I see on the horizon,” Drilon told the weekly Kapihan
sa Manila Bay forum at the Luneta Hotel yesterday.
Asked if Poe, who has consistently ranked high in surveys, can pose a
challenge to Roxas, Drilon said the neophyte senator has not even decided on
her political plans.
“I am not discounting that. I am just talking about who is a certain
candidate. Certain will be Binay. Grace has not even announced that she is
running… Even Duterte. Nothing is certain. So we just have to wait,” Drilon
said,referring to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
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Drilon noted that not even former senator Panfilo Lacson has officially
declared his presidential bid.
President Aquino has spoken to Poe at least twice over the need to
continue the reforms initiated by his administration.
However, there has been no formal offer on what post Poe may run for
should she decide to run under the administration banner.
Aquino, on the other hand, is meeting with Escudero within the week.
On the possibility of a Roxas-Poe tandem, Drilon remarked: “Let’s see
what happens in the coming weeks.”
Drilon, however, did not say if the LP would adopt Poe as a candidate.
Poe has openly declared that she will be running as an independent if she ever
decides to seek a higher post next year.
Integrity and good governance remain the major rallying slogan of the
administration, Drilon said, adding that the LP has been working to strengthen
their political base down to the local level.
“Corruption is an issue, therefore, the next leader must be able to
show integrity in governance,” Drilon said.
“Good governance will be the platform we will be standing on, and
therefore, this is the kind of quality which personally I will be looking at.
Competence and integrity in service.”
Drilon boasted the LP has a deep bench but he did not reveal who will
be part of the administration’s slate, except that there will be about six
members of the Aquino Cabinet who will be leaving to run either for national or
local posts by October this year.
He said the LP will be fielding candidates “from the President down to councilor
in every nook and corner of the country.”
Drilon downplayed insinuations that he will run for a higher post and
he does not need to step down as Senate President once he also goes around to
campaign for his reelection bid.
Read more at The Philippine Star
