Interior Secretary Mar Roxas (INQUIRER PHOTO)
President Benigno Aquino III is expected to announce his endorsement of Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II after his last State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 27 and before July 31, Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday.
“People are expecting the President to endorse Secretary Mar Roxas, and I think it’s a belief entertained by many sectors,” the Senate leader said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Beyond Politics.”
He said he expects Roxas to declare his presidential bid shortly after Aquino’s endorsement and immediately resign as head of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
“Yes, and I would expect him to already leave his post after that, so that you know, he becomes a candidate and it becomes untenable for him to continue holding the post as Interior Secretary,” he said.
After the President’s endorsement, Drilon said, the LP will no longer hold a convention since Roxas was the only member who “expressed his intent to present himself.”
The Senate leader also explained the perceived delay in the President’s endorsement, saying the latter had to consolidate first the administration’s coalition.
“The President would want to preserve this coalition, and all this time, he is trying to consolidate allies of the government and his supporters,” he further said.
This explained why, he said, the President held a series of meetings with Sen. Grace Poe, who topped the latest presidential survey conducted by Pulse Asia. But Drilon assured that the LP would be “united” behind Roxas should he decide to run for president.