Drilon backs Mar-Poe tandem for 2016 polls

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Franklin Drilon, the Liberal Party (LP) vice chairman, supported yesterday calls to tap Sen. Grace Poe as running mate of administration presidential bet Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II for next year’s elections. 

“Grace Poe has been an ally of the administration. She has been supportive of the administration in the Senate, and yes, we would like Grace Poe to be nominated as running mate of Mar,” Drilon said.

Drilon, who early on boasted that the LP has a deep bench to put up a full slate for the 2016 elections, is now open to have a non-LP member as part of their ticket.

Poe has been an independent candidate since she ran for public office in 2013 but she enjoyed the support of both the administration and opposition that catapulted her to number one spot among elected senators.

“We find in Grace Poe somebody who could support the reforms that this administration has been pushing and which we wish to continue in the next administration,” the Senate president said.

When asked if Roxas will be able to work his way to victory without Poe as running mate, Drilon vouched anew for Roxas’ capability as a candidate and an experienced politician.

“Mar will build up his strength as a presidential candidate,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed yesterday that he would be ready in mind and spirit once he decides to join the presidential race.

“I am not going in half-cocked, to go in without much understanding of the situation as possible. Why do we have to rush? Why the need to decide now? I cannot see the reason to be in a hurry. This will decide many things, not only my own life but the lives of many other people, so it is very important and important decisions should not be rushed,” said Marcos, a member of the Nationalista Party (NP) and a re-electionist senator.

Marcos admitted that neither he nor the NP has yet finalized plans for the 2016 elections.

“I remain an undecided candidate. There is no need for any rush into this kind of decision. As you can imagine, this is probably the biggest, most important decision I will have to make so far in my life. I am not going to rush it,” Marcos added.

Marcos said he and the NP members have been assessing the political situation and conducting scenario building for months but nothing final has been decided yet.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, a party leader and wife of NP president Manny Villar, said the party would support Marcos in case he decides to run for president next year. 

Villar pointed out that Marcos has not yet made any decision to run for higher office next year.

Sens. Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV, both NP members, have also expressed intent to run for vice-president in 2016. 

When the NP members have decided on their political plans, Villar said, only then would the party leadership announce their final plans for 2016.

Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali has called on political leaders in his province to support the candidacy of Roxas.

Umali, provincial chairman of the Liberal Party, admitted that the province is not a bailiwick of Roxas but the entire LP machinery will be mobilized in support of the administration’s presidential bet.

He said he will not cross party lines in support of another bet but will stick it out with Roxas. – With Manny Galvez