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By: Willard Cheng, ABS-CBNnews.com
MANILA – House Speaker Sonny Belmonte considers it an “ideal” situation to only have one ticket supportive of the administration to run in the 2016 elections.
Speaking to reporters, Belmonte said that any combination that would include anyone among DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero would be “good.”
“The ideal is to have a single ticket representing the administration, any combination is a good one,” he said.
“Basta any combination is a good one. The best one is iisa lang ang ticket… supportive of the administration.”
Asked if he is pertaining to Roxas and Poe, Belmonte said, “Isali na rin natin si Chiz because they are also talking with him.”
Belmonte said the chances of winning would be lessened if two sets of administration-friendly candidates would be running against each other.
“I think we can say not even as a season politician but sheer logic says that if your supporters are divided, the chances are less than if they were united,” he said.
He said he is not privy to the latest conversation between President Aquino and Poe.
He believes that members of the Liberal Party and its coalition partners would be united behind Aquino’s anointed one.
Political analyst Edmund Tayao earlier said Aquino is eyeing an administration tandem composed of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Grace Poe.
The President and Poe talked for five hours on Monday but did not reach a consensus on who will be the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party for 2016.
In a statement, Poe said she understands and sympathizes with the president, and considers him a “true friend.”
During the meeting, the senator said the President “reiterated his desire for all of us to continue working together and that he believes that, like him, we can and will do what is best for our country.”
“In the end, we both agreed to continue, in whatever capacity, striving and working for our countrymen and for the betterment of our children’s future,” Poe added.
This article was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com
