Roxas willing to arrange meeting between Poe, suspected LP detractors
RIZALITO David who?
Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II maintained on Tuesday that he and the Liberal Party are not, in any way, connected with David, the defeated senatorial candidate who lodged charges against Senator Grace Poe over citizenship and residency issues.
“Lilinawin ko lang. Mata sa mata, hindi ko kilala si Rizalito David o wala akong maalala sa kanya. Wala kaming kinalaman. Wala akong kinalaman sa kahit anong inihain niya laban sa kay Senadora Grace,” Roxas told reporters on the sidelines of the commemoration of the third death anniversary of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in Naga City.
David recently filed two separate cases against Poe before the Senate Electoral Tribunal and the Commission on Elections over her questionable citizenship and being a foundling.
During Poe and Roxas’ meeting last Sunday, the senator told Roxas that she has been getting information that there really are people from LP who are backstabbing Poe.
If indeed true, Roxas said he is ready to arrange a dialogue
between Poe and his partymates who she suspected of being behind the smear campaign against her.
“Noong na-take up niya ito na may iilan sa kanyang information na tumitira sa kanya, ang aking sagot naman doon: Handa naman ako na ipagharap sila or ipagharap kung sino man ang mga taong ito para mabura itong mga pagdududang ito,” Roxas said. When pressed further on his plan, he said: “I want to honor ‘yung aming napagkasunduan na hindi magsasalita sa aming pinag-usapan.”
Roxas, who has been lagging behind Poe in the presidential polls, is courting the junior senator as his running mate in the 2016 national elections in the hopes of raising his survey ratings.
Asked if Roxas had told the LP about Poe’s concerns, he said they had a “long Cabinet meeting” on Monday. Although he didn’t give further details on the meeting, Roxas said he had long been telling LP that he believes in the principle “the way you run is the way you will govern.”
“[I’ve been telling them] tumakbo tayo sa maayos na paraan, sa matatag na paraan, sa malinis na paraan. At ‘yun din ang paraan sa ating panunungkulan kung sakaling manalo tayo so ‘yun rin ang ating prinsipyo sa kampanya,” he said. Julliane Love de Jesus/INQUIRER.net
