2016 candidate for President not a priority—Palace

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Selecting the chief candidate for the top seat in the country may be ballyhooed, but the reigning power in the country is not riding the hype wave.

Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said that selecting the successor of President Benigno Aquino III is not on the priority list of Malacañang.

Earlier reports have surfaced saying that Vice President Jejomar Binay, who recently left PDP-Laban to form his own party, would run for the presidency in 2016.

According to television reports, Binay gave some names on who would be his potential running mate: Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and businessman Manny V. Pangilinan.

“It’s not our priority as of the moment,” Coloma said in a media briefing Tuesday afternoon. “There are still 849 days left, every single one of those is important for the administration.”

Coloma said that the remaining days of the Aquino presidency would be spent on the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan and its five aspects; inclusive growth, poverty reduction and social protection, climate-change mitigation and adaptation, law and order and security, and good governance and anti-corruption.

Malacañang also downplayed the issue that Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas would replace Aquino for the presidency.

“If the President does not mention a name for the position, then we would not comment on that.”

RELATED STORY

Lacierda believes Aquino’s 2016 endorsement is lethal