Roxas: Aquino backing not kiss of death

BIÑAN CITY, Laguna—Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas said here on Tuesday he did not believe that President Aquino’s endorsement would cost him the presidency in 2016.

“I think it’s wrong,” he said of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that showed that voters were not inclined to choose a candidate endorsed by the President.

“I am confident in the people’s perception of ‘daang matuwid,’ in the fruits of prosperity it has given us,” he said, referring to the Aquino administration’s governance thrust.

Speaking to reporters after stumping for support here and in neighboring Santa Rosa City, Roxas said he believed more Filipinos were appreciative of President Aquino’s efforts than the survey gave him credit for.

Mr. Aquino registered a -6 net effect of endorsement (percentage of those who will probably vote for the candidate minus those who will probably vote against him/her) in the privately commissioned SWS survey conducted on Nov. 26-28.

This suggested that the President’s endorsement might be more bane than boon to Roxas, whom Mr. Aquino “anointed” as his successor in July.

Roxas trailed three other presidential aspirants—Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay—in the latest opinion survey.

LP stalwarts, however, noted that Roxas’ survey numbers actually rose after he received Aquino’s formal endorsement.

Roxas said he was keeping the faith.