Recto welcomes possibilty of Poe joining LP

Sen. Ralph Recto. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A ranking official of the  administration’s Liberal  Party (LP)  on Tuesday welcomed the possibility of the party adopting Senator Grace Poe  to be its  standard-bearer or  vice presidential bet in the 2016  elections.

“Well, definitely . Ako personally, I’m open  to anyone kahit hindi  member ng LP. Ang mahalaga ituloy yung   programa ng Pangulo,”  Senate  President Pro Tempore  Ralph Recto,  vice  president of LP,  told reporters when asked  if Poe is  welcomed  in  the group.

(Well, definitely. Personally, I’m open to anyone even if he/she is not a member of LP. What’s important is the program of the President continues.)

Poe,  in an interview Monday, said  she herself asked  President  Benigno Aquino  III when they met last  week if the  LP would support  her  should she decide  to run for  a higher  post in  next year’s  elections.

READ: Grace Poe asks: Will LP support me if I run in 2016?

But   Recto said  that at present,  Interior Secretary  Mar Roxas remains  the LP’s standard-bearer despite  his low ranking  in various presidential surveys.

“For now, I think  he’s the standard-bearer,”  said the senator.

But asked   about the  possibility of  a Roxas-Poe  or Poe-Roxas tandem,   Recto  said   both  were  possible.

“Pwedeng Mar-Chiz din…Pwede rin yun siguro, kung pumayag si Chiz,”  he added, referring to  to Senator  Francis “Chiz”  Escudero.

(It can be Mar-Chiz too. That’s possible too, if Chiz agrees.)

Poe,  Roxas and  Escudero  though have yet to publicly  declare  their plans for 2016.

Recto explained that if the next president  would  come from   LP anyway,  its   members  might probably hold  key  government posts again in the next administration.

“So halimbawa kung hindi presidente si Mar,  just in case at maging senador,  e di Senate President. Posible. Pwede rin naman na Secretary of Finance  kung sakali lang  na hindi sya maging  pangulo,”   he added.

(For example, if Mar isn’t president, just in case he becomes senator, then as Senate President. That’s possible. He can also be Secretary of Finance in case he doesn’t become president). CC

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