Noy confident of administration bets’ chances in 2016 polls

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is confident that administration candidates will have good chances of making it in the 2016 elections despite doubts on his endorsement power.

Speaking at the Bulong Pulungan media forum in Pasay City on Friday, Aquino said the administration got “75 percent and…the top slots” during the 2013 senatorial elections.

“Those who actually made it from the opposite camp, one was in the middle and the others were at the…more or less tail end,” Aquino said.

“If we can claim, we were starting out with the successes in 2013,” the President said, noting his government would have a lot more gains to report to the people through testimonials during the campaign.

He said they were not promising anything except the continuation of the improvements that had been put in place.

“So these are testimonials that will be run throughout the country which are concrete manifestations of what daang matuwid (straight path) is. I think that message will propel our candidates to even better performances,” Aquino said.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released early this week indicated that more Filipinos believed that Aquino is a successful president.

However, another SWS survey showed his endorsement might not carry much weight.

But Aquino said when “people start talking about my endorsement, I think that is in itself testimony that there is value to that endorsement.”

“If it has no value, why bring attention to it?” the President said.

“Even the numbers – look at survey results – I have more supporters now than when we actually won in 2010 and I’d like to hope that there would be more, but not necessarily for me but for the principles that we’ve stood for. That is to empower the people and that is the main route towards our advancement as a people,” Aquino said.