(Photo by the Malacañang Photo Bureau)
MANILA – With the national elections nearing and rivalry issues arising, President Benigno Aquino III suggested debates rather than overreactions on the rift between Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe.
“Why are you so overreacting? Why do all of you need to overreact? Can we not help them change the system to something better and bring the debate to a more intelligent and studied level?,” Aquino said in a press conference in Japan, adding that what was happening was like a ‘black propaganda.’
The exchange of arguments started when United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) interim president Toby Tiangco claimed that Poe was not eligible to run for president or vice president as she did not meet the 10-year residency requirement for the said positions.
Backstory: UNA: Poe unqualified to run for president, vice president
UNA was Binay’s political group.
Binay’s daughter, Makati City Representative Abigail Binay later on called for a stop to the ‘heated and emotional’ exchange between their camp and the neophyte senator.
Meanwhile, Aquino has been repeatedly asked regarding the possible presidential candidate he would vote for. Although the president had not yet disclosed the name of his successor, he earlier stated that he wanted someone who would continue the reforms and sustain the gains of his administration.
“When will I endorse? I promised our people I was hoping it would be the end of June, but now it seems that I have to, by law, deliver a State of the Nation Address (SONA), which is on the last Monday of July. It will be shortly after that that I will endorse the person whom I believe can carry out the continuity,” he said.
Aquino also stressed that he wanted the next president to maintain the country’s sound relationship with Japan.
“I don’t think our people will elect a foolhardy replacement that will suddenly throw away all these very good economic partnerships that we have with Japan,” he added.
Interior Secreatary Mar Roxas, member of Aquino’s political group Liberal Party, agreed with the president’s call to stop ‘overreacting.’
“It’s just right to stop the bickering. It’s just right to apologize. It’s just right to put the debate on a higher level… Do you think the residents here care what’s happening in Manila?,” Roxas said in an interview while he was in Sorsogon province, leading the turnover of a water facility.
Instead of setting out political plans, Roxas opted to visit various provinces to check the completion of local government projects.