MANILA, Philippines – It’s his job.

This is what President Benigno Aquino III told reporters when he defended his close ally, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, from questions on whether “the amount of publicity he gets” meant he is running for president in 2016.

Aquino said Roxas’ constant appearances, especially during disasters, is just Roxas doing his work.

“Would the secretary of the interior, given all of the calamities that have befallen us – manmade and natural – be of service if he were absent from the scenes? So that is just but the function of the job,” Aquino said on Tuesday, December 3, at a media forum.

“If I want to get down to the people as much as possible, my alter egos perform that function also for me,” he said.

Aquino also denied it was to prepare Roxas for 2016, when his party is expected to field him in the presidential election.

“Is he being groomed? Our party has not decided on that. We have not discussed it. We are focused on solving the problems of today,” Aquino said.

Roxas was Aquino’s running mate in the 2010 presidential elections.

Roxas took a leave from his post as president of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) in September 2012, after he was appointed to head the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). He said he was taking a leave to focus on his job and to remove any suspicion his new position was to support his political aspirations.

In January this year, however, Senate President and LP vice chair Franklin Drilon said Roxas would be the party’s standard bearer in 2016: “Cast it in stone!” he said.

Since heading the DILG after the death of former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Roxas has been seen handling a wide range of issues, including, from this year alone, the Serendra blast, Zamboanga siege, Bohol earthquake, and Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). He also constantly appears by the President’s side in major events.

Roxas, a former senator, was LP’s original presidential bet for 2010, but he slid to vice president following public demand for Aquino’s candidacy. Roxas lost to Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Aquino said he knows other individuals have expressed their intention to run for president, both opponents and allies. He did not mention any names.

“I know of several people who want to be the opponent, and perhaps they are not saying that they are the opponents at this point in time. Some of them will be entertaining the idea perhaps that they might be our candidate also,” he said. “There are several that have already declared their ambition. But man proposes, and God disposes.”

Among the opposition, Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has declared his intention to run for President. Other names that have been floated around are Nacionalista Party’s Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos and Lakas-CMD’s Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr before being linked to the pork barrel scam. – Rappler.com