MANILA, Philippines – Neophyte Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said she has no plans of running for president in 2016, citing her lack of political machinery and experience.
Senator Grace Poe. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
“No plans,” Poe, who topped the last senatorial race, categorically said in an interview over television.
“And here is the thing, it is always an honor to be able to serve in a higher capacity, in a higher position, but honestly whenever people mention that to me, I feel very awkward and embarrassed.”
“You also have to know your limitations. At this point, I really don’t have the machinery, the experience is not also there and more importantly, what my father has gone through,” Poe said, referring to his late father, Fernando Poe Jr. who ran but lost to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.
The senator noted that when his father was the front-runner at the start of the campaign, his supporters were rallying behind him.
“Pero paglingon mo towards the middle of the campaign, wala na yung mga sumusoporta. Sabi nga nila may saksak sa likod niya (But when you turned your head back towards the middle of the campaign, the supporters were gone. As they say, he had been stabbed at the back). So that’s quite a learning experience for me even if I wasn’t directly the candidate at that time,” she pointed out.
Asked then if she would support President Benigno Aquino’s bet in 2016, Poe said: “I trust the President. However, it is also my right as a Filipino citizen to be confident about my candidate, but I know the President will always have the best intentions for our countrymen, so I’m hoping that it will be a candidate he can also be very proud of.”