Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino sees nothing wrong with the Liberal Party looking at possible candidates outside of the group in its quest to find the best person to succeed President Aquino
President Aquino, a first cousin of the first-termer senator, recently met with Sen. Grace Poe, a non-LP member, to discuss the 2016 elections.
Poe, who topped the 2013 senatorial race, has been leading recent surveys on voters’ preference for Vice President, and is virtually tied with Vice President Jejomar Binay on voters’ preference for President. She ran as an independent in the last election, but was adopted by the administration and was a guest candidate in its senate slate.
“I think it’s just right to talk to the different people who are coming out in the surveys. We just need to wait for what the decision will be,” Aquino told reporters at the Senate.
But Aquino said Interior Secretary Mar Roxas remains the party’s presumptive candidate, but added that it was important to explore all possibilities.
The party’s final decision would come “sooner than you think,” he added.
Asked if he was open to having a non LP-member as the party’s candidate, the senator said that what was important was finding the best person to lead the country.
“What we’re looking for is the best for the country. What’s important is who would continue the reforms, would ensure we will not return to the massive corruption in the past. We just really need to look at the options and all the alternatives. I think we owe it to the party and to the people to go through that process,” he said.
Aquino also said that rather than focusing on the personalities who might run in 2016, it would be better for people to ask them about their specific plans to improve the country’s plight, especially with less than a year to go before the polls.
“It’s time to really go and ask all of these people who want to run about their plans,” he said.
“I don’t think that we’re asking that question. What do they want to do for the country? What reforms do they want to push? I think that’s what we—not just the party or the president, but the people— need to know,” he added.