Trillanes airs plan to run for higher position

BACOLOD CITY , Philippines  — "I'm going to run for higher office in 2016," declared Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who was in this city Saturday.

When asked by reporters about his political plans, Trillanes answered: "Either president or vice president, I'm preparing for both. I'm leaving that to my party, which is the Nacionalista Party."

The senator said his Bacolod visit was "part of the consultation process to know the concerns of our constituents. "I believed it's very healthy to have many alternatives for the electorate to decide," he said.

Should Trillanes decide to run for president in the next elections, he will face Vice President Jejomar Binay and probably Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

On the NP-Liberal Party coalition set in 2013, Trillanes said, "Our alliance with the administration party will hold until 2016. Right now, the LP has decided to field its candidate and we in the NP also decided to field ours."

Trillanes added that former Senator Manny Villar will run again. "He (Villar) is assessing the situation." (FREEMAN)