VICE presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday that President Benigno Aquino III should be credited for launching an anti-corruption drive, even though it lost its luster when politics came into the picture.
“In my view, the President had the honest intention of reducing corruption, but the people around him failed to help him,” Marcos said in Filipino.
He said that as a result of politics, there was a widespread perception that Mr. Aquino’s opponents were prosecuted to the hilt, while Palace allies were largely allowed to go scot-free.
During his campaign sorties, Marcos has called for national unity, saying politics should not influence governance and public service.
“They should no longer be doing politics. An official should do what he ought to do to have an orderly government, so that many services will be felt by the people, so that our people will feel the wealth of our country,” he said.
Earlier, Marcos said he is ready and willing to help whoever wins as the country’s next president.
On the homestretch of the campaign period, Marcos has kept to his vow not to engage in mudslinging.
He said the next chief executive of the country should have a good working relationship with the vice president to be able to move the country towards progress.
“There should be partnership between the next president and the vice president even if they don’t come from the same party. There should be a good working relationship between them in order to implement programs that will be felt by everyone,” Marcos said in an interview with Net 25.
Marcos said he could work with any of the presidential candidates and would give his all-out support to the next administration.
Marcos also said the surge in his survey standings despite criticisms from his opponents and the Palace was due to his clear and relevant program of government and his call for national unity.
Marcos also cited the positive traits of his rivals for the vice presidency, describing Senator Gregorio Honasan and Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano as “brave.”
Administration candidate Leni Robredo, he added, was candid and transparent, noting that she said she was not yet ready to become a vice president before she ran.
He also credited Senator Francis Escudero for being knowledgeable in governance due to his extensive experience as a public servant.
Also on Tuesday, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino announced it was supporting Marcos in the coming elections.
LDP secretary-general Demaree Raval said the party decided to support Marcos during a recent consultation among party members and officers.
“Following nationwide consultations by the LDP national leadership, the party have decided to endorse the vice presidential candidacy of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., in an effort to start a genuine healing process that continues to elude the country despite its newfound democracy,” said Raval in a statement.
“There has been too much division and corrosion of the political community wrought by politics. It’s time to move and look forward,” he said.
A new Pulso ng Pilipino poll of 1,800 registered voters conducted from April 11 to 16 showed Marcos still ahead in the vice presidential race with 31 percent, ahead of Robredo at 25 percent, Escudero at 18 percent, Cayetano at 15 percent, Honasan at 5 percent, and Trillanes at 3 percent.
The survey has margin of error of + 2.5 percent.