Roxas says no to Binay

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party, on Friday rejected the idea of running as the vice president of his political archrival in next year’s national elections.

“I will never tread the crooked path. I will only take the straight path,” Roxas told reporters during his visit to Dagupan City, responding to reports that he is being considered as the running mate of Vice President Jejomar Binay in 2016.

The transcript of Roxas’ statement was released to the media by his office.

In his recent media interviews, Binay, who had publicly announced his plan to seek the presidency in 2016 as early as 2013, said he was “serious” in considering Roxas as his vice president to end the political bickering in the country.

But Roxas said he would only join those “who are clean, who are not tainted with corruption in their service to the people.”

“That much I can say,” the Interior secretary said, adding that he would rather focus on his job as overseer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government units.

Binay, whose family has ruled Makati since 1986, and members of his family have been in the center of several corruption issues, including his alleged questionable ownership of a multibillion-peso agricultural estate in Batangas.

Meanwhile, Roxas said he was not aware of the supposed warning given to him by President Aquino, who allegedly told him to work on his unimpressive showing in the latest surveys of possible presidential candidates.

“I don’t have knowledge of that conversation,” he said.

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