Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER file photo / JOAN BONDOC

MANILA—They’ve got it all wrong.

Senate President Franklin Drilon advised his partymates on Wednesday to build up their presumptive standard-bearer, Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar’’ Roxas II, instead of looking for a strong running mate to prop him up.

“There’s been a lot of talk about vice presidential candidates to pair with presumptive LP candidate Mar Roxas. In my view, what we should concentrate on as a party is to strengthen our presumptive standard-bearer, Mar Roxas, rather than look for a vice presidential candidate,’’ he said in a telephone interview.

Drilon, Liberal Party vice chair, reminded his partymates about the lessons of recent elections in which popular vice presidential candidates won on their own strength, without boosting the standard-bearer’s candidacy.

He recalled that in the 1992 elections, Sen. Joseph Estrada won as vice president while his presidential candidate, businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., lost.

Then in 1998, Sen. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo topped the vice presidential race while then House Speaker Jose de Venecia lost to Estrada. In 2004, Sen. Noli de Castro was elected vice president and his partymate Arroyo, President.

Then in 2010, opposition candidate former Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay beat Roxas in the vice presidential race, while Estrada lost to President Aquino.

“This indicates, in my mind, that you rely on your own strength rather than on the strength of the vice president,’’ Drilon said.

“History does not prove a strong vice president can carry his or her president. The last four vice presidents did not carry their presidential candidates, notwithstanding their perceived strength in the polls. That strength did not mean that they could transfer that popularity to their presidential running mate,’’ he added.

Drilon said the ruling party should then craft a strategy to strengthen Roxas “regardless of who his running mate will be.’’

“The presidential candidate must stand on the basis of his or her strength,’’ he said.

Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento had floated the idea of a team-up between Roxas and rising neophyte Sen. Grace Poe.

The team-up would “combine leadership, experience and expertise in governance with mass appeal, honesty and idealism,’’ said Sarmiento, the party secretary general.

LP stalwart, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., said this has not been discussed, but this would be “potent.’’

Poe, however, distanced herself from this, saying it was premature to comment on this since Roxas had yet to declare his plans.

Poe’s rating surged to 18 percent in the Nov. 14-20 Pulse Asia survey, running second behind Binay’s 26 percent. Roxas slid to sixth place.

The results of a Social Weather Stations poll, released in December, however, showed Roxas’ rating rise to 19 percent behind Binay’s 37 percent and Poe’s 21 percent.

“I won’t even go into that assessment,’’ Drilon said when asked if the party would mind tapping a strong vice presidential candidate such as Poe.

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