SENATOR Grace Poe is the candidate to beat in the 2016 presidential elections, the ruling Liberal Party said Tuesday.
Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez, the party’s spokesman, said the LP’s campaign strategy would be based on the assumption that Poe would be among the presidential candidates despite the disqualification cases filed against her.
“Definitely, she is the person to beat until now,” Gutierrez told reporters.
He said the disqualification case against Poe would not affect the LP at all.
“Right now, we assume that all three candidates would continue to be candidates until election day. We are planning, strategizing based on that assumption,” Gutierrez said
He said the cases filed against Poe was giving her undue media exposure.
“She is getting much exposure due to the cases filed against her; she is being talked about,” Gutierrez said.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist People’s Coalition is still to decide whom to support in 2016 presidential elections.
“We have no official stand,” said Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, the spokesman for the party founded by businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
Enverga said the NPC had not made a decision whom to support for President even if it had already agreed that its members seeking Senate seats, like reelectionist Senator Vicente Sotto III and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, were running under the Poe-Escudero ticket.
Enverga said the NPC’s executive committee had yet to be formally convened to determine the candidates that the party would endorse.