‘Aquino expected to choose Roxas’ — Drilon

DILG Secretary and Liberal Party frontrunner for 2016 Mar Roxas with Pres. Noynoy Aquino (Photo from Roxas’ official Facebook page)

MANILA — Senate President Franklin Drilon on Tuesday said that President Aquino is expected to endorse Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

“People are expecting the President to endorse Secretary Mar Roxas and I think it’s a belief entertained by many sectors,” Drilon said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Beyond Politics.”

“Given all the circumstances, I think it’s a reasonable expectation,” he added.

Drilon said that Aquino is most likely to make the endorsement days after the State of the Nation Address.

“The president will make the endorsement before July 31…. [but] after the SONA. That should be on the 29th, the 30th or the 31st.

An endorsement will be made,” said Drilon.

He added that he is also expecting Roxas’ formal declaration of his bid and his resignation as head of the Department of Interior and Local Government, once the endorsement is made.

“Yes and I would expect him to already leave his post after that, so that you know, he becomes a candidate and it becomes untenable for him to continue holding the post as Secretary of interior and Local Government,” he said.

Drilon also said that the president was also working on preserving the coalition, that’s why he has taken his time to decide.

“I think the president was trying to consolidate… You know, he’s working on a coalition,” Drilon explained.

“The president would want to preserve this coalition… All this time, he’s trying to consolidate his allies, or the allies of the government and his supporters.

And he’s consulting. It takes a process,” he added.