An endorsement is a reasonable expectation?

Senate President Franklin Drilon said today that President Benigno Aquino III is likely to endorse Interior Secretary Mar Roxas as the Liberal Party's presidential candidate in the 2016 elections. "People are expecting the President to endorse Secretary Mar Roxas and I think it’s a belief entertained by many sectors. Given all the circumstances, I think it is a reasonable expectation," Drilon said.

Drilon said the President would make the announcement of his endorsement of Roxas before July 31, after the State of the Nation address (SONA) on July 27.       Drilon said that after Secretary Roxas declares his intention to run as the LP standard-bearer, he should already leave his post as it "becomes untenable for him to continue holding the post as Secretary of Interior and Local Government."

The Senate leader said the endorsement of Roxas as LP presidential candidate took some time as President wanted to consolidate the coalition that brought him to power in 2010.  "I think it is a process that the President wanted to go through. He wanted to establish certain principles to continue the coalition we have had in the last five years," Drilon said.

      

"The first principle is that this administration had undertaken a lot of reforms. Two, the reforms must be continued by the next administration. Three, the alliance or group that the President would campaign for should assure him and the public that the reforms would continue," Drilon explained.

"Four, let’s face it, in politics, you have to have groups supporting your candidates, and there is nothing wrong, and certainly it is needed, that the President talk to his coalition partners to make sure that  they are in the fold when he endorses the candidate," he added.

Drilon said the LP vice-presidential candidate "must be somebody whom he (Roxas) could trust and be able to work with. It’s his choice at this point." Asked whether he is being considered as LP vice-presidential candidate, Drilon said: "That doesn’t any political sense. Why? Because Mar and I belong to the same group – to Region VI, both Hiligaynon. In fact we belong to the same island."

 "It doesn’t make any political sense for Mar to say, 'Frank come on, let’s run together.' I would like to think  he is looking at other people," he said.

Drilon said the LP will have a complete slate, from the President down to  the last councilor of the last fifth-class municipality. On the LP senatorial slate, Drilon said there  are six incumbent senators up for re-election, while four former senators would like to go back and present themselves to the people.

Apart from these, he said, some from the executive branch and from Congress who believe they have enough exposure also want to give a run for the Senate a try. Drilon said those who have signified their intention to run for senator include Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, TIEZA general manager Mark Lapid and MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino.

Drilon said that it is only Secretary Roxas who has expressed his intent to run for president, "so there is no sense in having a convention anymore." Drilon pointed out that since President Aquino has a very high trust rating, his endorsement of Roxas as the LP presidential candidate would "have a very strong value" during the campaign. 

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