Noy’s sisters not meddling in politics – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - The President’s sisters do not meddle in politics.

Malacañang clarified yesterday that the supposed declaration of support of President Aquino’s siblings for the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar Binay in 2016 is not official.

The statements issued earlier by Aquino’s sisters Ballsy and Kris that they are open to supporting Binay for president in the 2016 polls are not binding on the Chief Executive and members of his family, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

“I had an opportunity to speak to one of the sisters, and what Ma’am Ballsy seemed to have said was that she was expressing her personal opinion,” she said over radio dzRB.

“Ayokong makialam sa ganyan (I don’t want to meddle in such things.) So I don’t know where the story went. But anyway, the most important for the President is to continue the reforms,” Valte quoted Ballsy as saying.

Binay had earlier thanked the Aquino sisters for their support.

Kris admitted that they had talked about supporting Binay as the potential successor of the President.

Ballsy and Kris issued the statements after Binay announced that the ruling Liberal Party, whose presumptive standard bearer is Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, was planning to adopt him for the 2016 presidential race.

The statements were perceived to be disadvantageous to Roxas, who had been lagging behind Binay in surveys and could be counting on Aquino’s endorsement in 2016.

There have been reports that the sisters silently supported Binay in the 2010 elections even if Roxas was the running mate of Aquino.

Valte, on the other hand, said they wanted someone who would continue Aquino’s straight path policy.

“Hopefully, the next president would continue all the good things that he had started,” she said.