PNoy vets LP presidential bets

President Aquino is in the process of conducting consultations with various sectors on who will be the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Liberal Party coalition in 2016.

This was the reply of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon when asked about the reported meeting of President Aquino with Sen. Grace Poe, who has figured prominently in recent surveys of possible presidential candidates in next year's general elections.

"As party chairman, the President must seek the views of every sector. That is his prerogative," Drilon said. 

Drilon pointed out that he was not present in the meeting.

The LP stalwart said  the choice of who to field as presidential and vice-presidential candidates next year is "a matter for the President to decide."

Drilon said that while Interior Secretary Mar Roxas is the "presumptive candidate" of the Liberal Party, President Aquino "is undertaking consultations of every sector because of the broad coalition that he heads."

Drilon said there is no schedule as of now as to when the LP would choose its candidates as "we have to seek the opinion of the highest official of the land and our party chairman. "  

Drilon explained that the President did not need to ask the permission of the LP in holding talks with Sen. Poe: "I don’t think that the President needs anyone’s permission."

 Asked his opinion on whether Sen. Poe would make a good vice president, Drilon replied: "That is a matter for the President (to decide). The President is undertaking consultations and I do not want to preempt him. As LP Vice-Chairman, I will rely on the judgment of the President."

Shifting to the issue of consultancy fees of the Senate raised in a COA report,  Drilon said:  "I have not seen the COA report. When I saw the news report this morning, I directed (Senate) Secretary Yabes to submit to me a report on this."

"The matter of hiring consultants is a prerogative of each senator. The consultancy agreement and the number of consultants, and who these consultants are, are not cleared with my office. I do not sign any consultancy agreements," Drilon said.

Drilon explained  that each senator decides on the issue on the basis of his or her need and within his or her assigned budget: "I do not interfere on that, that is part of the independence of each senator who to hire as consultants."

Drilon said that very senator has a budget for consultants. "There is a budget equally assigned to all senators. How they utilize it and how much they pay the  consultants, that depends on every senator and their (individual) needs."

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