Pinabulaanan ni Senate President Franklin Drilon ang mga ulat na susuportahan ng Liberal Party ang kandidatura sa pagkapangulo ni Vice President Jejomar C. Binay sa May 2016 elections.
Sa panayam sa ANC Headstart, sinabi ni Drilon – na siya ring LP vice chairman – na si Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas ang pambato ng kanilang partido sa presidential race.
“If (former) Senator Mar (Roxas) finally makes his decision, yes. The party will support him,” Drilon iginiit ni Drilon.
Sinabi pa ng lider ng Senado na walang naganap na negosasyon upang kunin ng LP si Binay bilang standard bearer sa May 2016 polls.
Sa mga opisyal ng gobyerno, si Binay ang nananatiling may pinakamataas na approval rating base sa resulta ng iba’t ibang survey group.
“All I can say is that the spin masters are having their day. There is no such thing. I am a member of the Executive Committee of the Liberal Party and there has been no discussion on that,” ayon kay Drilon.
“At the end of the day, the party will be influenced in its decision, by the decision of President Noynoy. The President being the chairman of our Party, would have a great say as to who the standard-bearer would be, as to where the party is going, and at this point there is no such talk,” pahayag ni Drilon.
Itinanggi rin ni Drilon na kinokonsidera ng LP na kumuha ng isang hindi miyembro ng partido bilang front-runner sa 2016 polls bagamat ilan sa mga ito ay tumakbo sa ilalim ng kanilang ticket noong 2010 elections. - Hannah L. Torregoza