Palace: Cabinet members free to support Mar's foes
MANILA, Philippines — Even if they are colleagues of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, members of the Cabinet are free to support other presidential candidates, Malacañang said Thursday.
In a press briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said President Benigno Aquino III is not forcing and expecting his Cabinet members to support the presidential bid of his anointed one.
"Mayroong kalayaan ang bawat Cabinet member na pumili? Siyempre naman ang sagot diyan ay oo," Coloma said.
"Kilala po natin ang pangulo, kahit kailan naman po ay hindi po siya namimilit. Ang kanya pong paraan ay pagbibigay ng katwiran at pagbibigay ng pagkakataon na maunawaan 'yung kanyang mga polisiya at patakaran," he added.
Amid speculations of a Cabinet break-up ahead of the 2016 polls, Coloma assured that Aquino's official family remains solid.
"Buong-buo ang Gabinete sa pagsuporta sa pagpapatuloy sa programa ng administration dahil yan po ang sinumpaan nilang tungkulin," Coloma said.
Last month, Aquino officially endorsed Roxas as the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party, saying he is the most capable of continuing the administration's "Daang Matuwid."
So far, the biggest threats to Roxas's presidential ambition are Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay, the two leading candidates in the latest surveys on voters' presidential preference.
Binay, Roxas's rival in the 2010 election, had long declared his presidential bid. He resigned from the Cabinet in June after failing to get Aquino's endorsement.
Meanwhile, Poe has yet to announce her plans for 2016. Both Aquino and Roxas are still hoping that she will join the administration ticket as Roxas's running mate.
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