SENATOR MAR ROXAS ALREADY GAVE WAY TO SEN. NOYNOY AQUINO!

Sen. Roxas and Sen. Aquino

Saying that somebody "has to make a sacrifice," Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II indicated Tuesday that he is giving way to his party-mate Sen. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III as the standard bearer of the Liberal Party in the 2010 presidential elections.

"Noynoy Aquino and I share the outrage in the mess we are all in," Roxas said in an early evening press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City organized by the Liberal Party."I want to make a difference," he added. "I am the president of the Liberal party. It is within my power to preside over a potentially divisive process or to make the party a bridge for the forces of change."

"Today I'm announcing my support for the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino for president in 2010," Roxas said.

Roxas had long been groomed as LP's standard bearer in next year's presidential elections. Following the death of former president Corazon Aquino last Aug. 1, however, there has been a public clamor for Noynoy Aquino to run for the nation's top post in next year's elections.

The Liberal Party has yet to formally announce its candidates in next year's elections. During the press conference, Roxas did not categorically state if he will be the running-mate of Aquino, who was present but did not speak during the event.But Sen. Rodolfo Biazon and former LP president Florencio "Butch" Abad, who is also the party's campaign manager, said it was clear in Roxas' statement that he was giving way to Noynoy as the party's standard bearer. "Maliwanag yung announcement. (The announcement is clear) Mar is giving way to Noynoy," Biazon said."It is a shared decision in the sense that, sinabi ng LP na 'mag-usap kayong dalawa. Kung ano man ang mapagdesisyunan ninyo, susuportahan namin'(LP told them 'you have to talk. Whatever your decisions, we will support)," he added. [GMA news.tv]