Grace Poe urged: Prove leadership mettle now if planning Palace run

By: Maila Ager - 10 years ago

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—If Senator Grace Poe is planning to join the presidential race in 2016, then she should expose herself more and project as someone who can lead the country, Senator Sergio Osmeña III said on Tuesday.

Osmeña, who helped Poe’s campaign during the 2013 elections, gave the advice to the neophyte senator when asked about her possible bid in 2016.

Poe ranked second in various presidential surveys though she has not made any pronouncement yet whether she would join the presidential derby.

But Osmeña noted that compared with Vice President Jejomar Binay, who’s consistently topping the surveys, Poe was still in a “very distant” second.

“Running for senator is different than running for president. It’s hell of a hard job…” he told reporters.

Having a political group would not also help if a candidate is not even ranking well in the surveys.

“No, no. Parties don’t matter. Party’s just a name, a group. ’Pag leading ka sa survey maraming pupunta sa’yo. ’Pag mababa ka sa survey, wala kang party,” he said.

Asked then what Poe should do to improve her ratings, Osmeña said: “Maybe she has to expose herself more. Maybe she has to talk on a wider scale if she has a vision for the country, project herself as not merely an RH bill supporter or FOI supporter but somebody who the country can look up to for leadership.”

He was referring to the Reproductive Health Law and the proposed Freedom of Information, which has been passed by the Senate but still pending in the House of Representatives.

Poe chairs the Senate committee on information that tackled and passed the FOI bill.

Unlike Binay, who claimed he was being considered by LP to be its bet in 2016, Poe said she has not received any offer from the group.

“No one is asking me,” said Poe, who ran under the LP-led coalition ticket in 2013 as a guest candidate. She topped the senatorial race.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, vice chairman of LP, could not also say if the group would have a standard-bearer who is not a party member, like Poe.

“They are not members, they ran under the LP-led ticket. I was the campaign manager and I worked hard for that, but they are not members,” Drilon said in a separate television interview.

“Is the LP open? You know that is not being discussed at the moment, but it is still difficult to say yes or no,” he added.