It’s God’s punishment if Binay wins presidency – Erice

IT WOULD be God’s punishment to the country if Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) wins as President in the 2016 elections, a Liberal Party (LP) member said Tuesday.

In a press conference, Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice said consequently it would be God’s blessing if the tandem of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Grace Poe would make it to Malacañang.

“Personally, naniniwala ako na it’s a writing on the wall. If God will bless us, He will give us good leaders in the person of Roxas and Senator Poe.  If God will punish us, He will give us UNA,” Erice said.

“Sa mga nakakausap kong mga kasama ko sa partido, marami ang nagsasabi na perfect ang team  Roxas-Poe  para magkaroon tayo ng three consecutive terms of good governance and leader na may integrity,” he added.

In a text message, UNA Secretary General Atty. JV Bautista hit Erice for using God for politicking which shows LP’s “desperation and hopelessness.”

“Egay Erice’s statement is a sorry reflection of the LP’s desperation and hopelessness. By invoking the name of the good Lord in vain in their politicking, the LPs thru Erice risk eternal damnation of their souls. It is a mystery how he knew the will of God. Erice is either hearing voices or he is smoking something prohibited,” Bautista said.

A staunch supporter of Roxas for president, Erice said Poe, overwhelmingly popular in presidential and vice presidential polls than Roxas, still lacked exposure to beat the all-around experience of Roxas, the LP’s presumed candidate.

Roxas has been congressman, senator and Cabinet secretary and a short-lived presidential candidate of LP in 2010 until he gave way to the more popular then Senator Benigno Aquino III who was swept to power after the death of his mother, former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino.

Erice still welcomed the tandem of Roxas and Poe as president and vice president, respectively.

The vice presidential post would provide Poe the experience to eventually run as president in 2022, Erice said.

“Pag nanalo na siyang Vice, maganda ang training at preparation sa kanya iyong Vice President siya ni Sec. Mar Roxas kasi ako, ang tingin ko, si Senator Poe, hindi mo makukwestiyon ang integrity at competence pero  pagdating sa experience, kailangan pa talaga,” Erice said.

“Mahirap na pilitin natin sa hinog.  Dapat i-prepare natin ang ating mga leader para iyong maximum potential ng ating magagaling na leader, mapakinabangan ng bayan,” he added.

Erice also said Poe is not a stumbling block to Roxas’ presidential bid in 2016. He said a Poe vice presidential bid would help the LP in giving a “masa” appeal to Roxas, who has been faring badly in presidential surveys.

He also said Poe, though an independent candidate, supported the reform agenda of the current administration. Poe ran under the LP senatorial ticket and led the race though it was her first time to run for public office.

“Senator Grace is a very reasonable, intelligent… I am very confident na alam niya na kailangan magsama-sama iyong puwersa ng tuwid na daan at good governance kaya palagay ko, hindi siya magiging balakid,” Erice said.

In the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) presidential survey, Poe saw her ranking improved from 21 percent to 31 percent, just five percentage points shy from Vice President Jejomar Binay (36 percent from 37 percent) who remained in the lead. Roxas got a measly 15 percent of respondents, down from 19 percent.

In the latest SWS vice presidential survey, Poe is also the top pick with 26 percent of respondents, surpassing Roxas with 12 percent and Binay with seven percent.  AC