Aquino wants Poe out of the presidential race, says Osmeña

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III wants Senator Grace Poe out of the picture in the 2016 presidential race but the senator wants to get the President’s endorsement.

This was how Senator Sergio Osmeña III viewed on Tuesday the recent meetings between Aquino and Poe to discuss about the 2016 elections. Osmeña helped Poe when she first ran and won for the Senate in 2013.

“PNoy (Aquino’s nickname) wants Grace out of the presidential picture and to run as the vice president of Mar because he feels that the votes of Grace will go to Mar anyway,” he said in a phone patch interview.

“And si Grace naman she wants the endorsement of PNoy even if she runs as an independent kasi alam nyang wala namang pupuntahan si PNoy. Kung hindi nila ino-nominate si Mar kasi malayo si Mar sa survey, saan sila pupunta? Sino ang magiging official candidate ng LP?” he said.

Mar is Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, the presumptive candidate of Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP).

While Poe and Roxas have yet to publicly declare their plans next year, Osmeña is already seeing a four-way fight among Poe, Roxas, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

He also predicted that when the campaign period comes, many members of LP would start leaving the party to join and support the emerging strongest bet for president in 2016.

“Pag dating ng campaign time e marami dyang mawawala sa LP,” he said. “Tuma-timing lang…That’s natural.”

“If you look at our past elections, ganun ang nangyari. Noong 2010, halos walang naiwan sa Lakas e,” Osmeña said, referring to the Lakas CMD party of then President and now detained Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Lakas fielded Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro in 2010 but the latter lost to Aquino, the LP’s standard-bearer.