Binay on Roxas appointment: Too early to talk about 2016

MANILA -- Vice President Jejomar Binay declined to credit speculations that Secretary Manuel Roxas II-his perceived rival in the 2016 presidential race-took an early advantage after being named the new head of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The DILG is one of the most coveted Cabinet posts since it has supervision of all local government units and the police.

But Binay, a former Makati City mayor whose electoral success in 2010 was attributed to his strong ties to local chief executives, said it is too early to inject politics in the appointment.

"Allow us to focus on our work first. On my part, I was not hypocrite in telling you that I will be running in 2016 but more than that, let me just concentrate on the job and task that was given to me by President (Benigno III) Aquino," he said in a chance interview.

The Vice President is the government's lead person in tackling problems in the housing sector, anti-trafficking and concerns of overseas Filipino workers.

Roxas, on the other hand, will soon leave the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to replace the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, who died of a plane crash in Masbate on August 18.

Following his appointment as DILG chief last Friday, Roxas said he is not giving 2016 "much thought."

"I know I can only succeed and I told this to the President, I will only be successful and I can only succeed whether at DOTC or in now in DILG if all thoughts of 2016 or any other electoral position was removed from my mind. That’s what I intend to do," he said.

Meanwhile, Binay wished Roxas the "best" in his new assignment.

"After all, he is a member of the Cabinet and he will be working for the good of the country," he said. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)