There had been some speculation that Jejomar Binay, who has been mayor of the capital’s financial district for about 20 years, had sought the interior and local government portfolios in Aquino’s administration but had been turned down.

“Vice President-elect Binay reiterated to the president-elect his decision to decline any cabinet position so as not to burden the president and allow him to focus on the many challenges facing the nation,” Binay said.

“The vice president-elect assured President Noynoy of his friendship and support and readiness to extend any assistance whenever needed,” he said, referring to Aquino by his nickname.

Aquino is expected to announce his nominees to 25 Cabinet positions this week ahead of his inauguration on June 30.

Front-runners for positions include Cesar Purisima for finance secretary, a position he held briefly in 2005 under outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Liberal Party campaign manager Florencio Abad for budget secretary.

Binay was an ally of Aquino’s mother, democracy heroine Cory Aquino, who became president in 1986 after the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Aquino and Binay met for more than hour on Wednesday to discuss their agenda to reduce poverty, stop corruption and attract more investors to the country.

Meanwhile, outgoing President Arroyo urged the Philippines on Wednesday to unite behind her successor, who has promised to investigate her for alleged wrongdoing during her nine-year administration.

In a nationally broadcast farewell message ahead of the end of her term on June 30, she recalled that she took power during turbulent times when massive anti-corruption protests forced her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, to step down in January 2001. She congratulated Aquino, who won the May 10 presidential election by a landslide on a strong anti-corruption platform.

“I feel confident that we are leaving this nation much stronger than when I came to office, but I leave that for history to judge,” she said. “Tonight, I call on everyone to unite behind our new leaders.” Although consistently ranked in opinion polls as the country’s most unpopular leader since dictator Ferdinand Marcos was toppled in 1986, Arroyo said she had reversed the country’s economic decline with 37 quarters of growth by making unpopular decisions like raising taxes to generate funds for health care, creating nine million jobs, and building schools and infrastructure needed to attract investment.

“The gains I made were built on the efforts of previous leaders. Each successive government must build on the successes and progress of the previous ones,” she said.

She advised Aquino to “advance the programs that work, leave behind those that don’t.”

Opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel questioned Arroyo’s portrayal of her government’s economic performance, saying 3,000 Filipinos leave daily to work abroad. “I am not too sure that what she said actually happened to this country. Maybe in her imagination, that’s what took place,” he told ABS-CBN television.