Malacañang exec says PNoy still choosing the next LP standard bearer

President Benigno Aquino III at the Philippines Investment Forum, 24 March 2015 (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

MANILA — The quest for the next standard bearer of Liberal Party (LP), where President Benigno S. Aquino III belongs to, continues, a Palace spokesperson said Friday.

In a briefing, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the President will announce his decision on who he will support in the 2016 presidential elections once he has decided on it.

”At this point, I can say that consensus building is ongoing,” she said.

Valte explained that the President, in some of his speeches, has mentioned the characteristics of his successor – someone who can continue the reforms put in place by the current Aquino administration, someone whose integrity is unquestioned and whose honesty unassailable, and someone who will be committed to making good governance the rule of his administration.

She said that ”as long as the President has not announced a particular candidate, we cannot take questions or speculate on who that candidate will be, what talks they have had, et cetera.”

”So allow up s to wait for the President to indicate something before we can discuss,” she said.

Asked on her thoughts on what she thinks the public would favor – whether the election-related surveys or Aquino’s endorsement, Valte said this is best left to political analysts.

”I cannot predict at this point in time whether the surveys now or the pre-election surveys will be borne out by the votes of the Filipino people. So, at this point, we can’t tell. But what is important to the President is to continue laying out the rest of his programs for the rest of the 446 days that we are — that he remains in office,” she said.