Transcript of interview with Senator MAR Roxas' on ANC's Dateline

On choosing of LP officers:

Q: Do you have plans of choosing Kiko Pangilinan as a part of the Liberal Party?

MAR: Absolutely. We value Senator Pangilinan. We respect him. He is an important part of the party and he is part of the leadership team. Your report is accurate. He himself resigned as chairman, in order for us to have a free hand in reorganizing the party.

Q: So when you reorganize sir are you planning to put him in any position?

MAR: Yes, we are talking about it depending on his inclinations, his interests, how much time he wants to put in the party. He was the national organizing chairman of our party and we expect that he might continue to do that, if he decides on policy and platform or some other interests.

Q: Senator when was the last time that you and Senator Kiko last spoke?

MAR: We have a continuous dialogue, as you know we work in the same office. So we constantly see each other, we consult with each other. I think that maybe it's just intriguers who are making a mountain out of a molehill. As I have said, Senator Kiko continues to be a part of the leadership team of the party and we respect him, I mean, he's not only welcomed but he's a part of it.

Q: Senator Kiko doesn't seem to want the LP to align with the opposition or the administration in 2010.

MAR: That is certainly a possibility. It's a more likely scenario. Who knows what would happen in two years time. In any event, it will be a party decision. What is most important is that we in the LP are pushing and promoting our platform of government. We want clean government, we want reform, we want good governance all across the governmental structure. We want a government spending the people's money correctly without kurakot. These are the things that the LP is pushing and that is also what is at the center of our platform of government.

Q: So you would rather that the LP run in 2010 just as the "LP" without aligning yourself with any other party.

MAR: That's the default option. I mean obviously, we're the LP. We have a platform of government, we're pushing that forward. We would certainly be welcoming allies, if they decided to be one with us, but as I have said, that is a party decision.

Q: Did Senator Pangilinan imply that if the LP aligned itself with the opposition that he might leave the LP?

MAR: I guess you have to ask him that. My conversation with Senator Pangilinan was very positive, was very cordial, was very warm, where we said, we have a common vision of where we want to take the country.

So there's absolutely nothing negative. We want to strengthen the party, not for the party's sake but because the party is pushing a program of government. In fact, today, we just celebrated our 62nd Anniversary, Ricky. We decided not to do this in a hotel, to pay thousands of pesos in a hotel, but rather to go to the people. And that's why we did it here in Barangay Commonwealth . We have a job fair, we have a medical-dental mission. We have livelihood training. We have a pautang for the micro, small and medium enterprises. In effect, sinasabuhay namin, ginagawa namin ang concept "for the people, back to the people."

Q: Assuming that Senator Villar runs and assuming also that you run, at some point Senator Pangilinan will make a choice, won't he?

MAR: I would assume so. And I would be assuming that the principles of the party and platform would prevail.