Drilon sees Noy endorsing Mar before July 31

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Franklin Drilon claimed yesterday that President Aquino is expected to formally endorse the presidential bid of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 but not later than July 31.

“The President will make the endorsement before July 31st, after the SONA, and so that should be around the 29th, the 30 and the 31st. So an announcement then will be made. People are expecting the President to endorse Secretary Mar Roxas and I think it’s a belief entertained by many sectors,” Drilon said.

Drilon, who is also Liberal Party (LP) vice chairman, said the President’s endorsement would be a big boost to the administration’s standard-bearer.

“The President has a very strong endorsement value, and he will play a critical role during the campaign,” he said.

“The only thing that we should not forget at this stage of his incumbency, the President has a very substantial rating, a high trust rating which is not true of the previous presidents,” Drilon said.

“Endorsements then could not be equated to a good support because they themselves had a negative perception. This President has a very high rating at this point, the fifth year of his presidency,” he added.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto also shared Drilon’s view that whoever President Aquino will endorse will have the advantage over other possible contenders.

Drilon noted that other presidential aspirants – even Vice President Jejomar Binay – have sought Aquino’s endorsement.

“Why are they seeking the President’s endorsement? Binay was seeking the President’s endorsement, right? Do not forget, in 2013, we had a Team PNoy and we stood on the platform of good governance as espoused by a common President and we won nine out of twelve,” he said, referring to the Senate race.

“To say that the President’s endorsement at this stage has no value is wishful thinking,” Drilon added.

He also expressed belief that Roxas’ ratings will go up once endorsed by the President.

“Yes, it will certainly have an effect. Again, the endorsement of the President cannot pull him down, it will only pull him up. That is difficult to dispute.”

After the President’s endorsement, Drilon said the likely scenario would be Roxas would make a formal announcement.

As regards Roxas’ running mate, Drilon said the party is giving Roxas a free hand in choosing who he thinks would complement his political agenda.

“It is pure speculation at this point. At the latest, that should be in the filing in October. Insofar as the vice president, I would expect that sooner,” he added.

The LP is also expected to come out soon with a complete senatorial ticket, as well as the list for local posts.

“Within a short period after the endorsement is made, then the vice presidential candidate would be announced. Insofar as the senators are concerned, it will probably take a little more time, probably in October,” Drilon said.

Drilon added that he also expects Roxas to resign from his post once he officially declares his presidential bid so that he can campaign more effectively.

Leader with integrity

President Aquino reminded Filipinos not to have an iota of doubt over the integrity of the next leader they would choose in 2016.

“In less than a year, every Filipino will face the crossroads again and this will be my only call: choose the leader who will be true to all of you. Not one who will deliver empty pronouncements and promises; not one that we will be suspicious of becoming abusive and corrupt even just a bit; not one who has self-serving ambitions rather than for the whole nation,” Aquino said at the groundbreaking rites of the Angat Dam and Dike Strengthening Project in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Aquino appealed to the people to pick the one they could trust to continue the straight path, because only the Filipinos themselves could decide on the direction that the country would take in the coming years.

“This is just the beginning of our journey. I am confident: in the days ahead, concern for others and cooperation will again flow from the people; our bosses will again row in the right direction. With the Filipinos’ united stroke, the Philippines will continue toward the wide-ranging reforms it is aspiring for,” he said.

Aquino is currently holding consultations with various politicians, political parties and other stakeholders before announcing the candidate he will support in the 2016 presidential elections.

The President said he would likely make the announcement after his last SONA on July 27.

“My bosses, this is my pledge: To leave behind a Philippines that is in a better situation than we found it. In every second of our service in government, we endeavor to achieve this. I will also say this to you bravely: in every opportunity to serve, I have been true to all of you,” Aquino said.

Five years have passed, the President said, and yet the reforms being undertaken for the whole country remain unabated.

He cited the project for Angat Dam and Dike that he inaugurated as one proof of his government’s commitment to do things right. The President said the dam and dike system had never undergone any major rehabilitation since it was built more than 50 years ago.

Aquino said it could not be denied that the government he inherited was in a very serious condition, having a system that was full of leakages and a lot of agencies wasting funds and choosing to go on their own.

He said this was the reason why the services that were supposed to flow smoothly to the people were getting disrupted and only few were benefiting from them.

“We are now the ones working hard to lay down solutions to the problems that should have been licked a long time ago,” Aquino said.

Another example he cited was the existence of more than 30 government line agencies that were related to water, thus the need for him to appoint Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson as water czar.

The President said Singson served as the symphony master for the water sector and an Inter-Agency Committee on the Water Sector was formed to implement the integrated water resources management policy.

Aquino said the successes under the straight path policy were filled with different stories and the public could be assured that the problems were not solved by chance or sloppy work. – With Aurea Calica