MANILA, Philippines – He has the right to dream.

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II on Wednesday, June 10, downplayed opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay’s “hope” that President Benigno Aquino III would still support his presidential bid because of his long ties with the Aquino family.

“Karapatan ng bawat mamamayan na mangarap. Karapatan ng bawat mamamayan na magkaroon ng pag-asa,” Roxas said when asked by reporters to respond to Binay’s pronouncements. (It’s every Filipino’s right to dream. It’s every Filipino’s right to hope.)

In a press conference on Wednesday, Binay recalled the 2010 elections, when a group tagged as “NoyBi” – relatives and close allies of Aquino – supported him as vice president instead of Roxas, who was Aquino’s running mate.

“May suportang patalikod, pero secret. Parang NoyBi,” said Binay. (There is support that is kept in secret. Like NoyBi.)

Roxas, who was in Butuan City on Wednesday to lead the distribution of new patrol cars, is the presumptive standard-bearer of the ruling Liberal Party in the coming elections.

But the interior secretary has been playing coy about his 2016 plans. The President, meanwhile, said he and the LP will be announcing their anointed candidate after his last State of the Nation Address in July 2015.

Roxas-Poe?

Being eyed as Roxas’ running-mate is 2016 is neophyte senator Grace Poe, who was an adopted candidate of the LP in the 2013 senatorial elections. Roxas on Wednesday confirmed that Poe would be meeting with Aquino.

Roxas said he was not part of the Aquino-Poe meeting since he had already spoken to the President Tuesday. But the interior secretary refused to go into the details of the meeting.

Poe, however, clarified that no concrete offers were made for her to run as president or vice president. According to early presidential preference polls, Poe ranks a close second to Binay. Roxas, meanwhile lags far behind. – Rappler.com