Senator Grace Poe offers flowers at the tomb of her father, Fernando Poe Jr., at the Manila North Cemetery on Sunday (Dec. 14, 2014), the 10th death anniversary of the acknowledged Filipino movie king. (MNS photo)
MANILA, Apr 21 (Mabuhay) – Amid reports of a possible Roxas-Poe tandem in 2016, Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday said there has been no formal offer for her to run as the Liberal Party’s vice presidential bet in next year’s elections.
Poe, an independent allied with President Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party, kept mum on the possibility of becoming the running-mate of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the party’s presumed standard-bearer.
“There had been no formal offer from them,” Poe said in a text message.
Poe made the remark when asked to comment on LP member Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice’s statement that the party has been wooing her since November to run alongside Roxas in 2016.
“I cannot comment on the possibility [of a Roxas-Poe tandem] because Secretary Mar himself has not publicly declared his intentions,” Poe said.
Roxas has so far been tight-lipped on his political plans for 2016, saying in past interviews that he would rather focus on his work in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Poe, the daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., who ran and lost in the 2004 presidential election, received the highest number of votes in the 2013 senatorial race.
Her ratings in presidential surveys have been steadily rising over the past few months, a period that included her leading Senate investigations on issues such as the bloody encounter in Mamasapano between elite police commandos and Moro rebels.
A recent Social Weather Stations survey showed that Poe has narrowed the gap between her and leading presidential contender Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was ahead by only five percentage points.
When asked whether she is also considering running for president given her high survey ratings, Poe said her ratings only encourage her to work harder as senator.
“The survey results inspire me to continue doing my work and to uphold what I believe is right and for the good of our countrymen,” she said.
Malacañang has said Aquino will announce his party’s standard-bearer in June.(MNS)