Aquino, Poe meet again

Senator Grace Poe and President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

President Aquino and Sen. Grace Poe met again on Wednesday, but still reached no agreement on the lawmaker’s role in next year’s elections.

Poe told reporters that the meeting was held in Malacañang and it was clear to her after her talks with Aquino that the President was serious in looking for a candidate to support in the presidential election.

She said Aquino also invited her to “observe” his future meetings and asked her to be ready to pursue his reform program.

“He is probably considering me, but I don’t know for what position. We did not really talk about it,” Poe said.

Continuity

She said the President did not tell her what to do or who to team up with, but appealed for the continuation of his programs.

“The President did not say that I should team up with someone, or do a certain thing—just to be ready, if ever, to hopefully continue the good practices that had been started,” she said.

Asked why the President asked her to join him in his meetings, Poe said it was likely because she had a lot of questions for him.

They will meet again, though no definite date has been set, she said.

Open line

Poe said the President told her his line was always open.

She said there was no offer from the President for her to join the ruling Liberal Party. He discussed with her the LP’s process for selecting candidates, and told her that it followed a democratic process where every member has a voice, she said.

Poe said Aquino also mentioned that he would talk to Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Poe is close to Escudero and she has said that she would be comfortable teaming up with him.