Cayetano: I don’t back off from a fight
SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano has no plans to pull out from the vice presidential race at this point despite having no candidate for President.
He, however, admitted that more than just winning the elections in 2016, his goal is to bring forward critical national issues and have the presidential candidates come up with proposed solutions. “I think that is one of my tasks, not as a vice presidential candidate but as Alan Peter Cayetano, in moving for change, bringing these issues and bugging people to do something about [ them],” Cayetano said in a news forum on Wednesday.
The senator, who remains
optimistic that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would change his mind and join the presidential race next year, added that winning the vice presidential contest is just a bonus for him.
“But one of my goals is bettering the country and having real answers to the real problems, not just raising cosmetic solutions,” he said.
The senator was responding to a question regarding his possible withdrawal from the vice presidential race since Duterte had said he is not running for President.
Cayetano merely said he was keeping his options open.
He is the only candidate for Vice President who does not have a standard-bearer.
Cayetano, the Senate majority leader, said other vice presidential bets believe that they need to have a partner but, he added, based on results of past elections only the tandem of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Noli De Castro has won in presidential elections since 1969.
He added that at present the only candidate he wants to team up with is Duterte, but if the mayor will not run, he will still pursue his bid because something good for the country.
Cayetano said he is willing to wait for Duterte until December 10, the deadline set by the Commission on Elections for substituting candidates.