LIBERAL Party standard-bearer Senator Benigno Aquino III and his running mate Senator Mar Roxas II sought former President Fidel Ramos’ endorsement Tuesday afternoon, but all they got were copies of his books.A source close to Ramos said Aquino and Roxas went to the former president’s office in Makati City around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“They talked to him [Ramos] for almost an hour seeking his endorsement. They didn’t get it,” the source said.
“All President Ramos told them was what he thought must be the qualities of the next leaders of the country,’’ he said.
“And he gave them copies of his [The Bulletin of] Sermons, maybe for them to meditate on.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Aquino said the former president shared his experience with them and gave them many tips on politics and governance, but was non-committal on his support for the Liberal Party team when they parted.
“He did us a [big] favor by giving his insights on the burning issues of the day and on governing the country, but we felt we would be thick-skinned if we [asked] for his endorsement,” Aquino said.
Roxas said they were delighted when Ramos told them that his father, the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Narciso Ramos, was one of the founders of the Liberal Party in 1945. The late President Manuel Roxas (Mar’s grandfather) and the late Benigno Aquino Sr. (Noynoy’s grandfather) were among the party’s leading lights.
Aquino and Roxas have been leading recent surveys among the presidential and vice presidential candidates for the 2010 polls, but political analysts have warned that their popularity could be hitting a plateau.
Ramos, founder of the original Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats party, has yet to announce his choice for president.
But he has consistently said that the next president should have “a clear and strong platform on environmental protection.”
The Aquino family is close to Ramos, who served as defense secretary and Armed Forces chief during the term of the late President Corazon Aquino, the senator’s mother.
It is widely believed that Mrs. Aquino’s endorsement helped Ramos win the presidency in 1992.
Ramos has praised former Defense Chief Gilberto Teodoro, the administration’s standard-bearer, as an intelligent and dynamic leader, but has not endorsed him.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was confident that Ramos would eventually support the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s presidential bet.
Still, Ramos has stopped short of supporting the merger between Lakas CMD and President Arroyo’s Kampi, and has not accepted an invitation to be chairman emeritus of the merged party.
Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2009/november/26/news3.isx&d=/2009/november/26
If we will analyze what Ramos is saying the only presidential candidate with a strong environmental platform is Nicanor Perlas.
ReplyDeletePerlas served as an adviser to the Ramos administration and in fact he was the one who introduced Ramos to the idea of sustainable development.
It was Philippine Agenda 21 which he presented to Ramos and was adopted by the president. To date PA21 has remained as the most comprehensive, participatory and best blueprint for a sustainable Philippines.