Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Grace Poe. FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines – Instead of running for president, President Benigno Aquino III allegedly wants Senator Grace Poe to run as vice president of Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II in 2016, an administration senator said on Thursday.
But neither Poe nor Roxas has publicly announced their intention to run for president, though their names had been floated as possible contenders of Vice President Jejomar Binay, who already declared his presidential bid.
“Gusto ni PNoy (Aquino’s nickname) paatrasin si Grace and to run as the vice president of Mar,” Senator Serge Osmeña III said, citing his own sources.
Osmeña was initially reluctant to be quoted in the story as he is not a member of the administration’s Liberal Party. But the senator was among those who quietly helped Poe when the latter ran and won in 2013.
“Marami akong source dyan. Talagang pinapa-withdraw si Grace,” he said, adding that the votes would be split if the two would run against each other for president.
Asked if the President directly talked to Poe to convince her to give way to Roxas, Osmeña said: “I don’t know if he (Aquino) directly talked to her but ang sabi ng mga taga-Liberal Party, Grace Poe will obey whatever the President tells her…”
“Pero logical naman yun e. Pero ano’ng mangyayari kung sa susunod na survey six percent pa rin si Mar at 21 percent si Grace Poe?” he asked.
Poe ranked second next to Binay in voters’ presidential preference based on surveys conducted by various polling firms.
Asked again if the President, based on his sources, had already convinced Poe to be Roxas’ running mate, Osmeña said: “Hindi pa.”
Sought for comment, Poe said the President had not discussed the matter yet with her.
But asked if she was open to the Roxas-Poe tandem in 2016, Poe said in a text message: “I don’t think it’s fair for me to comment because Sec. Mar himself has not publicly declared his intention to run in 2016.”
Osmeña believes that a candidate without political group like Poe could still win the presidency.
He declined to say though if he would support Poe’s candidacy if she would decide to run for president in 2016.