Grace Poe to run for president even sans Aquino’s blessing—Osmeña

Senator Grace Poe. PRIB FILE PHOTO

There is no stopping Senator Grace Poe from running for president in 2016 with or without the President’s endorsement, Senator Sergio Osmeña has said.

“No matter how many meetings they have, the results are going to be the same. Tatakbo si Grace Poe as an independent (Grace Poe will still run as an independent),” Osmeña said in an interview with reporters Monday when sought to react to the series of meetings between Poe and President Benigno Aquino III.

READ: Aquino, Grace Poe meet again | Osmeña: It looks like Poe-Escudero unless . . .

And if Poe would run for president, Osmeña said the President might have no other choice but to endorse Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, the presumptive candidate of the administration’s Liberal Party.

“Para sa akin, siguro mae-embarrass ang Liberal Party, claiming to be the biggest currently, and unable to come up with a presidential candidate of its own ‘di ba so mahihiya naman ‘yun so if I were to guess, PNoy (Aquino’s nickname) will endorse Mar,” Osmeña said.

(For me, it would be embarrassing for the Liberal Party, claiming to be the biggest party currently, yet unable to come up with a presidential candidate of its own so if I were to guess, PNoy will endorse Mar.)

The senator though clarified that the President’s possible endorsement of Roxas should not be taken as payback after the latter supposedly gave way for Aquino in 2010.

Osmeña said the phrase “gave way” was inappropriate since Roxas “didn’t have a chance” anyway had he joined the last presidential race.

“Yeah that’s true, nagsa-sacrifice s’ya para sa party. But you know ‘yung parating ginagamit na phrase na ‘I gave way,’ Hello, he didn’t have a chance…” he said.

(Yeah that’s true that he is sacrificed for his party. But you know the usual phrase that ‘I gave way,’ hello, he didn’t have a chance …)

READ: Solon: Mar Roxas’ willingness to make sacrifices is his strength

But the senator pointed out, “Like I said, I expect PNoy to nominate and bless Mar.”

Asked why he thinks the President would not endorse Poe, Osmeña said: “Because it would be very embarrassing if Grace runs outside the LP and PNoy endorses her. It means the LP has no credible candidate. They always tout the LP as the biggest, the most powerful, the one with the most resources tapos walang presidential candidate (but have no presidential candidate)?”

“If I were Grace naman, I would not run with the LP. Bakit? E ‘yung mga skeletons in the closet ng LP, baka madamay pa ako.”

(If I were Grace, I would not run with LP. Why? Because I might be implicated with the skeletons in LP’s closet.)

He also advised Poe to be careful in choosing who her running mate would be should she run for president.

“As of today, there’s no issue against Grace Poe. She’s honest, she’s straightforward, she’s charming so wala, ba’t ka pi-pick up ng partner na may excess baggage? Hindi lang baggage, excess baggage talaga,” he said.

(As of today, there’s no issue against Grace Poe. She’s honest, she straightforward, she’s charming. She has no issues, so why would she pick a partner who has excess baggage? Not just a baggage, but excess baggage.)

Osmeña though noted that in Philippine politics, the endorsement of an outgoing president “has hardly made any dent.”

He cited as example the endorsement of the late President Corazon Aquino to former President Fidel Ramos in 1992 where the latter won by a slim 3 percent only against his then rival, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

In 1998, Osmeña said, then outgoing President Ramos also endorsed former Speaker Jose de Venecia but the latter also lost to Joseph Estrada, now the incumbent mayor of Manila. IDL