Poe: Aquino wants me to be Roxas’ running mate

Senator Grace Poe (Photo from Poe’s official Facebook page)

MANILA – In an interview with ANC News, Senator Grace Poe had finally disclosed some details from her three long dinner meetings with President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

Poe stated that although not told directly, she felt like Aquino wanted her to be Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II’s running mate in next year’s national elections.

Roxas is the presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) to which Aquino is a member. He will be endorsed by the President on Friday as his preferred successor.

“It’s pretty clear that Secretary Mar wants to run for the presidency, so the talks that we’ve had were perhaps to be part of that, if I decide to join the team. It will probably be as his vice president,” she said, clarifying that she only assumed what Aquino might have been trying to tell her.

Poe was joined by Roxas and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero in their meetings with Aquino, together with several top government officials.

Although Roxas has always been the presumptive standard-bearer of LP, speculations arose that Aquino may anoint Poe instead. This was because Poe topped the latest presidential preferences surveys while Roxas ranked low.

Budget Secretary Butch Abad, who was present in Aquino and Poe’s last meeting, explained that the President would not directly ask the senator to run for vice president so as not to be offending or insulting towards her who may want to seek the country’s highest post.

Poe, for her part, still has not decided if she will be joining the coming presidential race, with Escudero as her running mate.

Poe’s former political strategist Senator Serge Osmeña III earlier advised her to run for vice president first in 2016 then for president in 2022 as he believed that the neophyte senator needed more experience.

High regards for women

Meanwhile, Poe commended Aquino for having high regards for women as she noticed how the President thanked numerous women leaders in his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Among those whom Aquino praised were Ombudsman Conchita-Carpio Morales, Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, former COA Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, among others.

“All of the important and key positions in his government who come out with tough decisions are women… So, I am grateful to the President for seeing the potential and courage of a woman,” Poe said in a separate interview.