Marcos ‘keeping options open’ for 2016 elections

Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr. said he is keeping his options open in 2016 though he said the “obvious” thing for him to do is to run for re-election.

“Hindi pa panahon para pagisipan mga ganyan (It’s not yet the right time to think about those things), there’s two years left in this term, there’s still so much to be done, siguro saka na ‘yan kasi (perhaps we can hold that off because) that’s an individual, personal thing,” Marcos said when asked about his possible presidential bid in the next elections.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done for the remainder of the year. So, there’s no time or there’s no space in our working lives to be discussing that or to be planning that or to be campaigning. The time will come, of course when 2016 will come, I will be a candidate. The obvious thing to do is for me to run for re-election,” he said.

Asked when he deemed it right to announce his concrete plan, Marcos then cited as example the case of President Benigno Aquino III, who decided to run for president just months before the 2010 elections.

“The absolute deadline is when you file your COC (certificate of candidacy). Whether or not there is a proper or correct way to decide, I don’t know if there is such a thing,” Marcos said.

“I’ve always been advised to keep my options open so I always try to keep my options open for as long as possible,” he added.

Marcos said even his group, the Nacionalista Party, has not decided yet what role it would play in 2016.

The NP, headed by former Senator Manny Villar, might start discussing during the last quarter  of the year about its involvement in the 2016 national elections.

“(The decision) was that the NP would definitely be involved in the 2016 elections. Hindi dahil si Sen. Manny ay hindi na kandidato (Just because Sen. Manny is no longer a candidate), does not mean that the NP will stop functioning as a political party,” said Marcos.

“The NP will still continue to function as a political party but how we will do that, that has to be decided by the party and you cannot do that instantaneously. Kailangan, kausapin namin mga miyembro namin, kung ano iniisip nila (We still need to talk to our members, find out what they are thinking) and assess the political situation for all our candidates.”

As for the presidency, Marcos said he had no idea if his group would decide early.

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