BongBong still undecided on what position to run in 2015

Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (at rostrum) delivers his sponsorship speech on Senate Bill No. 2894 or the Proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) at the Senate Session Hall on Wednesday (Aug. 12, 2015). (Avito C. Dalan / PNA)

DAGUPAN CITY — Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr said here today that he is still in the process of making a decision whether he is going to run for a higher position come 2016 election but added that running for reelection is still an option for him to take.

Speaking to newsmen during a press conference at Tondaligan Park here, Marcos expressed surprise over news reports coming from unauthorized sources stating that he would announce his candidacy for president today in Mangaldan town where he was set to induct officers of the Samahang Ilokano, or even tomorrow in Manila.

“In anticipation of your questions (referring to media men), I don’t have any announcement to make as of today as to what position I am running for and running with and all of those questions that everybody is wondering,” the son and namesake of the late President Ferdinand Marcos said.

The young Marcos, who is with the Nacionalista Party, said he can not give the answer for the simple reason that “none of those decisions have been finalized although he admitted that they are now very close to deciding what higher position he would run in next year’s polls.

The NP, he said, is not the biggest political party in the Philippines today but he can vouch that it is the most cohesive among the political parties. The senator admitted he has been with the NP since 2009.

“This decision is not yet finalized and because this discussion does not only involve myself and also members of the Nacionalista Party, I do not want to preempt any decision that the party would be making,” he added

This is because , he said, it is the party that will decide in any national election, he added, when it comes to a national election, it is a must that a candidate has a party.

The NP, he stressed has not finalized its position on the national elections for 2016, which is something that the party members are not yet ready to announce.

“I am presently discussing with different groups and individuals but again we have not yet finalized how we are going to and what we are going to do in the next election,” he said.

Other NPs who earlier expressed their intention to run for higher office are Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes III.

“We are still hoping that the party (NP) will choose one. I think that is the best situation for all of us,” he added.

As to his running for reelection, Marcos said he might take such an option but said that right now, “we are talking about higher position (for me)”.

He considers the 2016 polls an unusual election because even at this stage, the administration party has also not finalized its own line up of candidates.

Marcos said the candidacy for President of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is another undetermined variable even if his followers held their march just to persuade him to run.

Asked why he is not with the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) created by his father, the young Marcos said he belongs to the NP and has not been with the KBL for a long time.

He also said at some point, the leadership of the KBL has separated ways.