Grace out as LP standard bearer

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Grace Poe no longer expects President Aquino to endorse her as the Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer for next year.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Poe said she would not be surprised if Aquino endorsed Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II today or tomorrow because they are from the same party.

She said she did not want to expect any endorsement because she did not want to be disappointed.

Poe said Aquino never told her directly that he had already decided on Roxas, and that he wanted her to run as his vice president.

During their meetings, Aquino only told her “we should be together,” she added.

Poe said she does not want to interpret what Aquino had told her.

“That was probably what he meant, but I cannot say definitively that’s what he meant,” she said about a pitch for her to run as Roxas’ vice president in 2016.

Poe said she continues to respect Aquino and so in spite of some differences in opinions, they understand and respect where they stand.

“Like I said, I am a principled ally of the President,” she said.

“This means that even though we are not always on the same side, the bottom line is we are always for what is best for the people.”

Aquino was clearly torn between her and Roxas because he saw that they were both on the same page with regard to what they want for the country, she added.

Poe said since their last meeting more than a week ago, she only managed to talk to Aquino again during the State of the Nation Address last Monday.

“We spoke briefly during the SONA,” she said.

“It was not about 2016 or Mamasapano. It was not about politics but about governance.”

Poe said she was not at liberty to disclose the details of their discussion because it was “classified.”

One thing that stood out in their various meetings was how Aquino saw their relationship beyond 2016, she added.

‘Escudero to run as Poe’s VP’

Sen. Francis Escudero’s resignation from his various posts in the Senate paves the way for him to be Poe’s running mate in the 2016 presidential elections, Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) president, told The STAR yesterday.

“He (Escudero) would not want to be seen as using his position for gain,” he said.

“I thought he sounded the drumbeat for other politicians seeking higher office to display more delicadeza.”

Escudero has resigned as chairman of the Senate finance committee and as co-chairman of the joint congressional oversight committee on public expenditures.

Last week, Aggabao and other NPC stalwarts said the country’s second largest party was leaning toward supporting a Poe-Escudero tandem based on feedback from its members.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has called on officials eyeing higher public office to take their cue from Escudero.

“Nice political move from a master,” he said. “Others similarly situated should take their cue.”

Deputy Majority Leader Sherwin Tugna said other public officials, similarly situated, should also resign their posts.

“I believe that all public officials should have the delicadeza to resign from their