Aquino seeks Roxas-Poe meet

Heavy burden

Escudero said that what was clear to him was that the President was having a hard time with the decision of choosing his desired successor.

It does not mean that the LP members are not qualified, it could just mean that the President is weighing several options, including winnability, the commitment to his reform program, and sincerity, he said.

Also on the President’s mind is the fact that there are people waiting for his guidance on who to support. If he makes the wrong choice, he would be blamed, Escudero said.

“That is the heavier burden probably that he is carrying, according to him,” he added.

1st time meet

A well-placed Palace source on Friday said nothing concrete came out of the President’s meeting with the two senators that lasted for more than four hours.

What was clear was that the President wanted the two senators to meet with him and Roxas, and that the 2013 coalition under which Poe and Escudero ran, would remain intact, the source said.

The source said no horse trading took place. Instead, it was a relaxed meeting that started at 1:30 p.m. and ended shortly before 6 p.m.

There was no one else at the meeting but it was the first time that the President met with Poe and Escudero together.

“The President and the two senators did not discuss who would run for President and Vice President under this coalition,” the source said, requesting anonymity for lack of authority to speak to the media.

Lunch meeting with Roxas

The Inquirer has learned that the President met with Roxas and Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, an LP leader, at the Palace on Friday.

READ: Roxas confirms meeting with Aquino, but won’t bare details

The lunch meeting was apparently an offshoot of Mr. Aquino’s meeting with Poe and Escudero on Thursday, according to the Inquirer source who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak to the media.

Roxas, in a statement, confirmed the meeting but said that as a Cabinet member he considered the meeting with the President “privileged conversation.”

“With due respect and deference to the President who has yet to speak on the matter, I will not discuss the details of my meeting with the President and Secretary Butch Abad this lunchtime,” he said.

“However, I am confident that what we have been working on for the past five years and the continuity of the reforms that have brought unprecedented benefits to our people remain paramount in the President’s mind. This consideration will define his choice in 2016,” Roxas added.

No offer of any kind

Escudero said there was no offer of any position of any kind to either himself or Poe during the meeting.

He did not get the sense that he was being persuaded not to team up with Poe because of a desire of certain LP members for a Roxas-Poe ticket. He said his discussion with Mr. Aquino, who is a close friend, was lighthearted.

In a text message late Thursday, Poe also said particular positions were not tackled at the Palace meeting.

“No specific commitments or positions were mentioned,” she said.

What the President discussed was his wish for his allies to remain together, Poe and Escudero said.

According to Escudero, Mr. Aquino told the senators that he would prefer a united ticket in the 2016 elections.

“We discussed 2016 but only to the extent of hopefully having a united ticket,” Poe added.

The President hoped that the coalition that had backed him in previous elections would remain intact and support his anointed one, said Escudero.