Cayetano: I’m still waiting, hoping

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—While some members of the ruling Liberal Party may still be waiting for Sen. Grace Poe to agree to become the running mate of the party’s presidential contender Mar Roxas, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano admitted he was still waiting and hoping to be asked.

“By the time they are ready to decide, nandito lang ako (I’m just here). As most courtships go, we are now texting each other,” Cayetano told reporters here Friday night.

Cayetano said there were ongoing talks between his close supporters and LP members over the possibility of a Roxas-Cayetano tandem, as the two men share the same vision of the “tuwid na daan” (straight path) espoused by President Aquino.

Cayetano, the Senate Majority Floor leader, said that while he belongs to the Nationalista Party (NP), the LP and NP have been “natural allies” for five years under the Aquino administration.

“The LP and NP have common enemies: corruption and poverty,” Cayetano said.

But the senator said he was prepared for any decision the LP might make regarding Roxas’ running mate. “I will not force myself on them.”

In the meantime, he is willing to wait for Roxas and President Aquino to make their choice, he said.

“I learned that President Aquino would like to have more time to convince Sen. Grace (Poe) to agree to be the administration VP candidate,” the senator added.

Cayetano and his wife, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, arrived here on Thursday to attend the wake of Lani’s grandmother in Tiwi, Albay.—Mar S. Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon