Palace: PNoy will retire, won't run as Mar's VP

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang assured on Thursday that President Benigno Aquino III will not seek the vice presidency next year.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. maintained that Aquino will not reenter the government after he steps down as president.

"President Aquino has previously stated that he would like to retire from public office when his term ends at noon of June 30, 2016, and to the best of my knowledge, he has made no comments to the contrary," Coloma said in a press briefing.

In a radio interview in August 2014, Aquino said he was looking forward to the day he leaves the presidency, which he will celebrate with two Palace officials.

"Sa July 1 (2016), the day after bumaba tayo sa puwesto, at kakain kami ng masarap talaga, tapos may streamer na nakalagay sa likod namin, 'Kalayaan,'" the president said.

Earlier this week, administration ally Cavite Representative Elipido Barzaga Jr. suggested that Aquino should be the running mate of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Party's standard-bearer.

In a statement, Barzaga said a "Mar-Noy" tandem would be the "dream team" that is capable of winning the polls and of ensuring the continuity of the "Daang Matuwid."

"The idea of urging the President to be Roxas' running mate is not far-fetched. PNoy is well-loved by the people. A Roxas-Aquino tandem is going to be a sure-fire winner. It's going to be unbeatable," he said.

Barzaga said there is no legal impediment to Aquino's vice presidential bid, citing the cases of former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who sought lower posts after their presidency.