MANILA, Philippines – When Senator Grace Poe declared her bid for the presidency, she insisted that no one has a monopoly on “Daang Matuwid (Straight Path)” – the current administration’s catchphrase for its transparency, anti-corruption, and good governance platform.

In her speech on Wednesday, September 16, she even thanked President Benigno Aquino III for his efforts thus far, and vowed to continue and ramp up the fight against corruption.

But Malacañang believes the camp of Poe – including her running mate Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero – is sending confusing messages on where they want to lead the country come 2016.

“They have shown, for instance, in their [campaign] jingle, ‘Bagong Umaga (New Morning)’ and yet they claim ‘Daang Matuwid (Straight Path).’ So medyo confusing ang message nila (So their message is quite confusing). Do you want change or do you want continuity?” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in an interview on state-run radio dZRB on Saturday, September 19.

He agreed that nobody has a monopoly on Daang Matuwid, but stressed that it is the Aquino administration that “has always had Daang Matuwid” – from the 2010 campaign up to the present.

When asked whether Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo is more qualified to be the administration’s vice presidential bet than Poe, Lacierda said Robredo “perfectly fits the bill” because they are looking for a candidate who is “to the bones” for Daang Matuwid.

“Well, apparently there are factors that Senator Grace Poe considered, which led her to establish her Partido Pilipinas. Is that the party, the group that they have? I think it’s called ‘Partido Pilipinas,‘ and so veers from Daang Matuwid.”

‘Leap of faith’ for Robredo

Poe, the front runner in presidential preference polls, had met with Aquino a few times before she decided to pursue the presidency. In their meetings, Aquino had raised the idea of Poe running for vice president under the ruling Liberal Party.

Meanwhile, Roxas formally asked Robredo to be his running mate on Friday, September 18. (READ: Roxas on Poe candidacy: Why should I be worried?)

“What better tandem can we have than to see Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo – both principled players of good governance, Both who shared the vision of President Aquino in Daang Matuwid – to be together?” Lacierda said on Saturday.

Robredo is still mulling over the offer, prompting Lacierda to start a social media campaign on Friday, to convince her to make the leap of faith.

“It’s a leap of faith not just by Leni Robredo and her daughters. It is also a leap of faith for all of us who share the vision of good governance because we believe that a Mar Roxas and a Leni Robredo tandem will move the country forward beyond 2016,” Lacierda said.

As soon as the word was out on a possible Roxas-Robredo tandem, the social media campaign #JumpWithLeni started, convincing Robredo to run for vice president. (READ: Why Leni Robredo is Mar Roxas’ choice)

  – Rappler.com