Mar: I asked Loren’s support but didn't make any offer

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte—Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II on Thursday admitted that he once asked fellow vice-presidential aspirant Senator Loren Legarda if she can just support his tandem with Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III in the May elections, but denied making any offer in exchange for her support. At a press conference held in this scenic city of islands, where he is campaigning with the Liberal Party (LP) slate, Roxas said he only asked Legarda the question while Senate was still in session late last year because he could not believe the rumors at the time that Legarda was going to team up with Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. “I asked Senator Legarda if she could support the Noynoy-Mar tandem, and I did this because I couldn’t believe that she would seriously ally herself with Villar after all she told us—her fellow senators—about him. (Not after) what she said about Villar being corrupt, that he had no leadership, and how she rallied us to push for Villar’s replacement as Senate president," Roxas explained in Filipino. "Wala akong inoffer na pera, wala akong inoffer sa kanya (I did not offer money, I did not offer her anything)," Roxas said. Legarda, who belongs to the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), was left without a running mate after her party’s prospective standard bearer, Senator Francis Escudero, left the party in a huff. (See: Chiz leaves NPC, defers anew announcement of 2010 plans) Legarda was one of the senators who voted to oust Villar as Senate president and replace him with Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. In March 2009, she denounced Villar for saying that a presidential aspirant needs at least P1 billion to run a campaign. “Nakalulungkot pong isipin na paliliitin natin ang usapin ng paglilingkod sa bayan sa isyu ng pera. Pera-pera na lang ba ang eleksyon? Talaga bang ang tingin niya sa taong bayan ay mukhang pera? (It is sad to think that we are reducing the idea of public service to a mere money issue. Is the election just a matter of money? Does he [Villar] really think the people are only after money?)" she said at the time. Legarda and Villar eventually formally announced their political partnership in November 17. (See: After search, Villar, Legarda find each other for 2010) In an interview with anchor Mike Enriquez on radio dzBB’s "Ikaw Na Ba? The Vice Presidential Interview" on Wednesday, Legarda said Roxas had approached her during a Senate session in January or February this year and asked her to support him and Aquino. "If there’s any way you can support my principal [Aquino] and me… whatever you want, we will provide," Legarda quoted Roxas as saying. In a separate chance interview with GMA News and GMANews.TV, Legarda explained that Roxas told her that "the arrangements can be done outside the electoral process." She said she was not sure exactly what Roxas meant by this, but she interpreted it as an offer of a bribe. (See: Loren: Roxas made offers in exchange for support for LP tandem)—JV, GMANews.TV