Liberal Party presidential bet Mar Roxas and Sen. Grace Poe. FILE PHOTOS
Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II admitted he was hurt over the accusations of Senator Grace Poe’s camp that he was behind the move to eliminate Poe from the presidential race.
The administration’s presidential bet also questioned why, apart from Poe, other presidential aspirants are blaming him for the allegations thrown at them.
“Alam mo masakit din sa akin ito eh, na ako na lang ang sinisisi sa lahat ng nangyayari sa kanya o sa iba pang kandidato,” Roxas said in an interview at Biliran province.
“Ako mismo, nakaranas ng sakit sa kalooban pero hindi ibig sabihin na dahil lamang na hindi lumabas ayon sa ating kagustuhan ang mga pagpasya ng mga tinakdang mga may kapangyarihan ay mayroong ibang tao na nasa likod nito,” he added.
(You know, it hurts, too, that I am always being blamed for everything that happens to her or to the other candidates.
I, myself, have experienced hurt, but it doesn’t mean that just because decisions by the authorities do not favor us, that there is someone behind these outcomes.)
READ: Mar Roxas to Grace Poe: Why me? | Poe says Roxas, Binay behind disqualification move
Roxas pointed to Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, interim president of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s party United Nationalist Alliance, who first said that Poe is not qualified to run for a higher post because of her residency in the country.
“Lumitaw ito lahat noong sinabi ni Cong. Toby Tiangco ito. Hindi naman natin kakampi si Cong. Toby Tiangco. So lahat ito ay palagay kong mga spekulasyon at mga pang-iintriga at siguro maganda na doon na lang po sila tumutok sa mga nakatakdang proseso dahil wala naman po kaming kinalaman sa mga nangyayari sa kanila,” he said.
(These all surfaced when Congressman Toby Tiangco said this. We are not allies with Cong. Toby Tiangco. So, all of this, I believe, are merely speculations and intrigue, and it would probably be better if they focus instead on the due process because we have nothing to do with what is happening to them.)
Poe earlier said Roxas and Binay were behind attempts to disqualify her from the national elections.
The Commission on Election’s second division granted the petition to cancel Poe’s certificate of candidacy because she fell short of the 10-year residency requirement. CDG
READ: Comelec disqualifies Grace Poe