Despite surge in survey, Poe still won’t run for president in 2016

By: Maila Ager - 10 years ago

Sen. Grace Poe. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe remained firm on Tuesday against running for president in 2016 despite the reported surge in her rating based on the latest Pulse Asia survey.

Reports said Poe’s rating jumped from 10 percent last September to 18 percent in the latest survey conducted by the polling firm from November 14-20. She ranked second in the presidential preference survey, next to Vice President Jejomar Binay with 26 percent.

“That increased number is truly heartwarming to be honest but, as of this time, it does not shake off the real reasons I have said before that deter me from even seriously considering to run in 2016,” Poe said in a text message Tuesday night.

“There are still so much to do in the Senate that needs my full attention and efforts,” she added.

Poe had repeatedly said in previous interviews that she had no plans of joining the 2016 presidential race, citing her lack of machinery and experience.

She also noted what her father, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., went through when he ran and lost in 2004 against then incumbent President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“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,” the lady senator said in an interview last March.

Poe recalled 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 said.