Standoff at Palace dinner
The six-hourlong dinner hosted by President Aquino on Wednesday night at the Chief Executive’s official residence at Bahay Pangarap did not touch on the issue on who among Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero will be running for what position in the 2016 election, Poe said on Thursday. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
The six-hourlong dinner hosted by President Aquino on Wednesday night did not touch on the issue on who among Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero will be running for what position in the 2016 election, Poe said on Thursday.
It was the first time that Aquino sat down with Roxas, Poe and Escudero for a discussion of 2016.
Hours after the dinner, the President, however, admitted he was “closer” to choosing a candidate whom his administration and its Liberal Party-led coalition will back in next year’s presidential election.
“Those details were not discussed,” Poe said in a text message, when asked if there was no decision yet on who among her, Escudero and Roxas will run for President and Vice President, after their meeting with the President on Wednesday night at the Chief Executive’s official residence at Bahay Pangarap.
But Poe said that Aquino would meet them again by next week and that they would wait for the confirmation of such meeting.
Asked if the meeting would happen before the President delivers his last State of the Nation Address on July 27, she said: “That’s the assumption.”
The President was expected to announce his presidential candidate for 2016 after July 27.
Facing reporters at the national police headquarters before noon on Thursday, Aquino said he was getting closer to picking the administration’s standard-bearer.
“I think the best that I can say at this point, this minute, is I am closer to that point,” Aquino said in a talk with reporters at Camp Crame in Quezon City, where he led the ceremonies for the turnover of command at the Philippine National Police.
Asked when he would announce his chosen candidate, Aquino replied: “If I had my way, yesterday.”
Way past midnight
Aquino spoke about the dinner he hosted on Wednesday night at Malacañang for Roxas, Poe and Escudero and an undisclosed number of top government officials.
“We had a long discussion. It went past midnight, that’s why we look sleepy,” he said.
Roxas is the presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling LP. Poe, an independent, is the front-runner in the race for Malacañang in the voter preference polls. Escudero, also unaligned, is a potential vice-presidential candidate.
Roxas declined to comment on what transpired during his dinner meeting.
“I will not (talk about it). That’s OK. The President has already spoken about it,” Roxas told reporters after visiting the wake of a man who was allegedly summarily executed by policemen in Sampaloc, Manila.
Aquino said he was as “excited” as other members of the LP about the announcement of the administration’s presidential candidate.
He said he considered the choice a measure of his own success as President.
“Success can be measured by your ability to train your successor or to name your successor or to choose your successor,” he said.
Aquino did not give any indication that he has chosen a presidential candidate, but said “there were many who could pursue our reform program and that’s why we are happy.”
Asked what was discussed during the gathering, the President replied: “[A]ll the parties that were there agreed that a lot of changes have happened in our society, in our country during the past five years. And because the transformation has been good, there is a need to sustain them.”
He said he would continue consulting them, not just members of the LP and the administration coalition, but also representatives of various groups on who to field in the presidential election.
“We are trying to unite them. I’m a member of the Liberal Party, but I also represent other sectors. There are peoples’ organizations and civil society organizations. I’ve never been a dictator,” Aquino said.
As per Poe’s official statement on the meeting, the senator said it went well and that their talk lasted for six hours, having started at 7 p.m. of Wednesday and ending at past 1 a.m. Thursday.
She said there was an agreement that the right leadership was needed so that the country would thrive.
“Kaya naman nagkasundo kami na ang pinakamahalaga ay isaalang-alang ang boses at gabay ng ating mga kababayan upang masigurong hindi ito mawaldas at mapalakas pa ang maayos na paraan ng pamamalakad ng gobyerno sa darating na susunod na anim na taon (That’s why we agreed that what is important is to consider the voice and guidance of our people to ensure this won’t be wasted and to further strengthen the way government will operate in the next six years),” she said in a statement.
Chinese dinner
Asked whether this meant that the surveys would be their gauge on who should run for Pesident and Vice President, Poe maintained that they did not discuss details in that meeting.
For his part, Escudero said on Wednesday night’s meeting was “cordial and relaxed.” He said they had Chinese food for dinner.
“We talked about a lot of things other than 2016,” he said in a statement, adding he confirmed what Poe had said of their meeting.
Escudero also said the President would issue a statement on their dinner.
No to Osmeña suggestion
It was earlier expected that their meeting would decide if Poe was willing to be Roxas’ running mate. Poe had earlier said she was “more comfortable” having Escudero as her running mate if she decides to run for president next year.
But it looks like Poe was not about to take up Sen. Sergio Osmeña III’s suggestion for her to run for Vice President than President next year.
On Wednesday, Osmena said that Poe would “make a better President if she has six years as Vice President because she’s fairly new in this game.”
Osmena also said he did not favor a team-up between Poe and Escudero.
In a separate statement, Poe said she understood Osmena’s “sentiment.”
“However, we have seen that even highly experienced leaders falter if they do not have the best intentions of the people at heart,” she said.
“I thank Senator Serge for his continued trust in my character as a leader, even as he mentions the short time I have so far holding public office,” Poe added.
Poe had previously shot back at Vice President Jejomar Binay when the latter said the next president should have experience in government, which was viewed as an apparent dig at her.
Poe had said that more than experience and competence, the successor of President Aquino should be honest and sincere about serving the people.
Roxas ‘shoo-in’
Malacañang sources said Aquino’s choice would depend on which presidential candidate could ensure the continuity of the administration’s reform program.
A Palace official, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak to the media, said Roxas was a “shoo-in” for presidential endorsement.
“That’s a given. The only question now is if the President would be able to convince Senator [Poe] to slide down to the VP post,” the source said.–With a report from Marlon Ramos
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