‘Roxas in good place for 2016’

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, President Benigno Aquino III’s presumptive choice to succeed him, is in a “good” place despite lagging behind in surveys, a top Liberal Party (LP) strategist said on Tuesday.

Though Roxas was trailing Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Grace Poe in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was confident he would experience a “bump upwards” once he declared his candidacy.

Roxas placed third with 19 percent in the SWS survey, which was topped by Binay with 37 percent followed by Poe with 21 percent.

Margin of error

The difference between No. 2 and No. 3 falls within the margin of error of plus/minus two percentage points.

Abad, who was a campaign manager of Mr. Aquino in the 2010 presidential race, saw a silver lining in the results, saying Binay’s standing with 37 percent meant that “those who may not vote for him is about 63 percent.”

“Eventually, this thing will simplify into two or three candidates, so in that sense, [Roxas’ standing] at this stage, I think, is good,” Abad told reporters on the sidelines of the President’s signing of the 2015 national budget.

“But [the number] will definitely be better if eventually he decides to run and the party selects him because there is always a bump outwards when candidates declare themselves available and even more so if they are endorsed by the sitting president.”

“So there are more positive sides—upsides I should say—that he will enjoy once those declarations are made,” he added.

Encouraged

But other Liberal Party stalwarts said they were encouraged by what they say was Roxas’ strong showing in the latest SWS survey.

“Definitely. [It’s the] highest rating of Mar so far,” said Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., LP vice chair, when asked if party leaders considered Roxas’ latest rating to be an encouraging sign.

“Yes, [it’s] very encouraging despite the fact that he has not signified his intention yet to run,” said LP secretary general and Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento.

Sarmiento said Roxas remained the presumptive standard-bearer of the ruling LP.

He earlier said LP was seriously considering a Roxas-Poe ticket in the 2016 elections, a combination that would combine the interior’s wealth of experience and the senator’s charisma and integrity.

Unwavering belief

Another LP leader, Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, said the results of the survey were just one variable in the party’s coming decision to choose a standard-bearer.

“We have never wavered in our belief of Mar Roxas as the successor to President Aquino [who] can pursue the reforms and progress of our country,” he said.

“Surveys are just one factor but what is more important is the ICE of the candidate: integrity, competence and experience,” Erice said.

An earlier voter preference survey by Pulse Asia showed Roxas sliding to No. 6 among prospective presidential candidates. Binay and Poe were No. 1 and 2, respectively.

Abad downplayed surveys on prospective winners in the 2016 presidential election, saying “people have not really sat down to think about these things.”

“These are just really top-of-mind responses since there’s only one candidate who has declared himself a candidate in 2016 and all the others have not,” he said.

“I think the people don’t have the basis (yet) really to make firmer judgment as to who they should pick.”

Binay has long announced his intention to run for president, to which he attributed the recent exposes in the Senate about his alleged corruption and ill-gotten wealth. He claimed the allegations were rehashed and were intended to derail his presidential run.

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