MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Manuel Roxas II on Monday, October 19, again defended the ruling party and his team from allegations of resorting to “black propaganda” as the official election period draws nearer.

Over the weekend, Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte lashed out against Roxas’ campaign team for allegedly being behind the columnist who wrote that Duterte had cancer. The Davao mayor was then getting higher ratings that Roxas in presidential preference surveys.

It turns out it was his ex-wife, Elizabeth, who was battling cancer. Despite the clamor from his supporters, Duterte opted to run for re-election as Davao Mayor.

Duterte pointed out that Roxas’ team seemed to have done a demotion job too on Vice President Jejomar Binay, another rival of Roxas for the presidency.

“Nakita mo si Binay kung paano (Have you seen what they did to Binay)? They were starting with me because they thought I would be running for
president,” he told Rappler in a chance interview on Sunday night. Binay is the subject of a year-long Senate investigation into alleged corruption from his time as Makati mayor.

Duterte and Roxas have known each other since their days in Congress, when Roxas represented Capiz and Duterte, Davao City. The Davao mayor said he would be able to forgive Roxas, but said the LP standard-bearer should still be held accountable for his party’s “propaganda machine.”

On Monday, Roxas told reporters that it wasn’t how the ruling party works.

“Sa aming panig ay naniniwala kami ni Cong. Leni na how we campaign is an indication of how we will govern. So dun kami parati sa high-level, doon kami parati sa issues, sa programa, sa pagkumbinsi sa mga kababayan natin na maganda para sa kanila, para sa ating bayan na ipagpatuloy at palawakin natin ‘yung Daang Matuwid at mga programa nito,” said Roxas on the sidelines of relief operations for those affected by Typhoon Lando at his campaign headquarters in Quezon City.

(Congresswoman [Leni] Robredo and I believe that how we campaign is an indication of how we will govern. So we stick to high-level, we stick to issues, to programs, in convincing our fellow Filipinos that continuing Daang Matuwid and its programs is what’s best for them and the country.)

Pressed on whether the LP would avoid attacks against its political foes, Roxas said they would stick to “facts.”

“Dun kami sa facts, dun kami sa aktwal, nasa katotohanan dahil lahat naman ito, kung pang-iintriga man, ay sa dulo, may kasabihan na ‘The truth will always come out, diba?'” he said.

(We will stick to the facts, what’s true, what the truth, because if these are only rumors, there’s a saying that ‘the truth will always come out,’ right?)

Philip Lustre who?

Roxas reiterated that neither he nor the party was behind the Duterte cancer rumors, which began with a post by journalist Philip Lustre. “[We don’t have] any kind of coordination, conversation, or any kind of relation with the said Mr. Lustre,” said Roxas, adding he only knows Lustre “as a journalist.”

“Hindi ako nasa likod at hinding hindi ko iniutos or kinukunsinte itong gawaing ito,” said the ruling LP’s presidential bet. (I am not behind nor would I order or consent to this kind of activity.)

Roxas said he has since reached out to Duterte himself.

“Naipaabot ko sa kanya at I think that may tiwala ako na matibay ang aming pagkakaibigan, may tiwala ako na si Mayor Digong ay isang tao na tumitingin sa katwiran, sa kung ano ang tama at makikita niya na kung anoman itong mga ibinubulong sa kanya or pang-iintriga na dumadating sa kanya, makikita niya na wala kaming kinalaman doon,” he said.

(I reached out to him and I have trust in our friendship. I believe that Mayor Duterte is someone who listens to reason, to what the truth is. I believe Duterte will be able to see through what people are telling him and see what we have nothing to do with it.)

The case of Grace Poe

There are those who have also alleged that the ruling LP is behind the disqualification cases against survey front-runner Senator Grace Poe.

Roxas said neither he nor his campaign team would “ride on” the issues Poe currently faces.

“I’m sure na si Senator Grace, kung anoman ang isasagot dito, kung anoman ang kanilang posisyon dito sa mga inihain, ay masasagot naman nila ‘yan. Kung anoman ang kanilang kasagutan, may proseso naman ‘yan, pero hindi kami makikialam,” he said.

(I’m sure Poe, whatever her answer is, whatever their position is, they’ll have an answer to the allegations. Whatever their answer is, there’s a process for that, but we will not meddle.)

A day after Poe filed her candidacy for president, the former chief legal counsel and spokesman for the Government Service Insurance System filed a case to cancel the candidacy supposedly because the neophyte senator lied in the document.

On Monday, former senator Francisco Tatad filed another disqualification case against Poe over her citizenship yet again.

Poe is facing questions about her eligibility to run for president on the basis of her citizenship and residency. Prior to announcing her own presidential run, the LP had long wooed Poe to be Roxas’ running mate.

Her critics say Poe, a foundling who was adopted by two Filipino showbiz superstars, is not a natural-born Filipino, one of the requirements to run for president.

Roxas on Monday repeated his earlier belief that Poe is a Filipino.

“Si Senator Grace Poe ay kabahagi ng Team PNoy nung 2013, so we presume regularity. Wala namang nagreklamo noon, so ganoon din lang and patuloy ‘yung kapanahunang ‘yun, ‘yung aming paniwala na Pilipino siya at qualified siya,” said Roxas when asked if he thinks her citizenship should be an issue in 2016.

(Poe was of Team PNoy during the 2013 mid-term elections so we presume regularity. Nobody raised a howl then so from then until know, we are of the belief that she’s a Filipino and that she’s qualified.)

Poe, said Roxas, should simply answer the accusations. “Hindi naman misteryo ito, yes or no lang ito (It’s not a mystery. It’s a yes or no
question),” said Roxas. – Rappler.com