LP undecided on Poe, against Binay as presidential bet

Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento. PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Liberal Party (LP) remains undecided on whether to endorse Senator Grace Poe for the 2016 presidential election, but Vice President Jejomar Binay is definitely not being considered, two LP stalwarts said on Tuesday.

“Walang usapang gano’n (We haven’t talked about her),”  LP secretary general and Western Samar Representative Mel Senen Sarmiento said, referring to Poe, during a press conference.

Poe is the daughter of the late Fernando Poe Jr. who ran in the 2004 presidential race but lost to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo amid cheating allegations.

LP member Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice also said the party was looking for a candidate who has more experience in politics.

The neophyte Poe, who led the Senate race though it was her first time to run in 2013, chaired the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board before she won.

“Hindi lang naman sa popularity. Dapat sa experience rin at naaayon sa prinsipyo ng partido,” Erice said.

Erice also thrashed rumors that President Benigno Aquino III may opt for Vice President Jejomar Binay as his successor in 2016.

Sarmiento said the party was looking for a successor who would continue the President’s platform beyond 2016.

“The principles of the party should not be compromised. Dapat tugma pa rin,” Sarmiento said.

Erice said Binay, who heads the opposition party United Nationalist Alliance, definitely did not match the LP’s criteria for a standard-bearer.

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice. FILE PHOTO

“Iba ang prinsipyo ni Binay. Ang dapat piliin ‘yung walang dudang itutuloy ang tuwid na daan. Hindi nga matuwid ang kanyang daan,” said Erice, who has been vocal against Binay especially amid allegations in a Senate probe that the Vice President earned kickbacks in infrastructure projects when he was Makati mayor.

Erice said he was still vouching for Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who has not fared well in presidential surveys despite being Aquino’s presumptive successor.

For the 2010 elections, Roxas gave way to Aquino who was then swept to power after the death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

“Right now, Secretary Roxas is focusing on his work,” Sarmiento said.

Asked if the party will adjust if Aquino opts for a successor outside the LP, possibly Binay or Poe, Sarmiento said: “It’s always consensus and collegial building. The party always decides collectively.”

“That’s the principle of liberalism,” he said.

The LP would also choose senatorial and vice presidential candidates from allied parties. Sarmiento added, however, that the party would prefer one of its own as presidential candidate.

For the 2013 elections, the LP allied with the Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party in forming its senatorial ticket then known as Team PNoy.

Erice said the LP has a big bench of possible senatorial bets in 2016, among them Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson, food security adviser Francis Pangilinan, and Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo, wife of late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Erice added that Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto and TG Guingona may be part of the administration’s senatorial ticket as reelectionists.

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