Benigno Aquino III chooses Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as Philippine presidential”

Philippine President Benigno Aquino (L) raises the hand of interior secretary Manuel Roxas endorsing him for the country’s 2016 presidential election during a ceremony in Manila.

“In my opinion, the person who has shown competence and integrity, who is ripe and well prepared to continue the “Straight Path”, is no other than Mar Roxas”, Aquino told a cheering crowd of supporters at the historic Club Filipino.

Aquino on Friday downplayed Roxas’ poor polling numbers, saying the Liberal Party needs to do more to promote the presidential hopeful.

The Philippines is set to elect a new leader in May 2016, with contenders required to register their candidacy ahead of a mid-October deadline.

Roxas, 58, whose grandfather founded the Liberal Party in 1946, said he is honored to get Aquino’s anointment, and vowed to give his all and not divert from the Aquino administration’s “straight path” theme of governance.

Roxas ran for vice president along with Aquino in the 2010 elections, but he lost to Jejomar Binay, who quit the cabinet last month amid corruption charges.

When asked if the running mate of the LP standard bearer will also come from LP, Drilon said the matter will be left to the discretion of their presidential candidate.

However, analysts say Aquino’s pick was laden with risk.

Though now leading polls, the feisty septuagenarian’s popularity has recently been dented by allegations he illegally enriched himself and built a family dynasty during his 20-year tenure as mayor of Makati, Manila’s financial district.

Heydarian also warned that Roxas and Poe could split Aquino’s support base, giving Binay an edge.

Aquino, who will complete his six-year term next year, stressed the importance of having an ally carry on the achievements of his administration because if the country’s economic trend continues, a government assessment shows the Philippines can become a first-world country within the next generation.

“I do not wish to open the possibility for an individual to stay in power their whole life”, Aquino said, adding that he has rejected calls to rewrite the constitution.

Aquino’s mother led a bloodless revolt that eventually toppled Marcos in 1986.