Admin coalition denies Poe as alternate bet

MANILA, Philippines - The Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid on Thursday dismissed notions that Sen. Grace Poe is the alternate candidate of the administration following her admission that she attended President Aquino’s birthday celebration last Monday. 

Coalition spokesman and Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez said the president has expressed his “very clear” support for Liberal Party presidential bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas.

“At the Capiz and Iloilo kickoff events, the president was very clear and unequivocal about his complete, all out support for Mar. There is no alternate bet,” Gutierrez said in an interview.

“Dozens of people attended that celebration, are all of them alternate bet?" he added.

On Wednesday, Poe confirmed that she attended Aquino’s 56th birthday celebration in Malacañang and that she and the president remain friends despite differences in political affiliation.

Speaking to reporters in Cebu, Poe said there is nothing unusual about her attendance because she often gets invited to events at the palace.

There have speculations that Aquino is secretly supporting Poe because Roxas is performing poorly in surveys.

Poe topped the Pulse Asia survey released early this month despite questions surrounding her citizenship. The neophyte senator was chosen by 30 percent of the respondents while Vice President Jejomar Binay was in second place with 23 percent. Roxas only ranked third in the survey with 20 percent.

Gutierrez said those behind the rumors that Poe is the alternate candidate of Aquino are just desperate to ride on the popularity of the president and the straight path.

“My unsolicited advice to them: That style is so passé. They should just look for other gimmicks,” he said.

This is not the first time rumors of an “alternate administration candidate” floated during the campaign period. 

In 2010, critics of then Sen. Manuel Villar claimed that he was the real candidate of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who endorsed the presidential bid of former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro. 

There have been speculations that outgoing presidents have "Plan B" so they can be shielded from cases after they step down.