Fight vs graft must continue–Poe

By: Christian V. Esguerra - 10 years ago

FPJ DEATH ANNIVERSARY Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Grace Poe and her mother, Susan Roces, visit the tomb of Fernando Poe Jr. at the Manila North Cemetery on the actor’s 10th death anniversary on Sunday. ALLAN PEÑAREDONDO/CONTRIBUTOR

MANILA, Philippines–Be true to yourself and see if you’re up to the job.

Sen. Grace Poe said this would have been her late father Fernando Poe Jr.’s advice if he were alive today amid calls for her to run for President in 2016.

Still undecided, the senator said whoever wished to succeed President Aquino should continue his campaign for good governance under the banner of “tuwid na daan” (righteous path).

Poe on Sunday led family and friends in marking the 10th death anniversary of her father, one of the biggest stars in Philippine cinema who made an unsuccessful run in the 2004 presidential elections. He died just after the balloting, won by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose victory was later questioned following the “Hello Garci” scandal.

“Perhaps what my father would tell me is to be sincere in whatever I do, to be true to myself if I can do it,” the senator told reporters after hearing Mass for her father at Manila North Cemetery.

“Second, he would really tell me that my decision would not be for myself but for the good of the majority.”

The event was primarily meant to remember Fernando Poe Jr., and his daughter took the opportunity to express her family’s gratitude for the “undying and undiminished love and support given to [him] through these years.”

“As we mark a decade since his passing, we remain in awe of the enormous respect and remembrance by our people of FPJ and his works,” she said in a statement.

“Our family conveys our deepest thanks to every Filipino home that has allowed FPJ’s memory to live through,” said the neophyte politician serving her first term as senator.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who campaigned for FPJ in 2004, also attended the Mass. But both he and Senator Poe kept mum on the possibility of becoming running mates in 2016.

“Right now, I’m not considering any particular commitment except that I think that whatever the President has started, whoever will be the candidate, [he or she] should be able to continue that,” said Poe, essentially echoing President Aquino’s main criterion for choosing his successor.

“I think that we should fight corruption. We should continue that. We should be able to incorporate in all our programs a policy that will truly encourage inclusive growth,” she said.

“So it means that helping the poorest of our countrymen is what’s important,” she added.

All can help

To do this, Poe said she did not have to be the President.

“I’m sure there are a lot of others who may have the desire to do it or even the capability,” she said. “In my case I don’t have to be in the top position. Wherever I am—all of us, wherever we are—we can help in this straight and narrow path. It doesn’t have to be in one particular position.”

Aquino has given no hint on who he wanted to succeed him. But the presumptive administration standard-bearer is Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, whom Aquino made very visible coordinating relief operations for Typhoon “Ruby” as head of the new National Government Frontline Team.

Roxas is also remembered for making a so-called sacrifice when he abandoned his presidential ambition in favor of Aquino in 2010. Then Senator Aquino’s campaign rode on the wave of overwhelming public sympathy following the death of her mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

But the latest Pulse Asia voter preference survey has not been encouraging for Roxas. He stood at sixth place with only 6 percentage points.

Binay, who has been under fire for a number of corruption allegations, also suffered a setback though he still topped the survey. His voter preference rating was down from 31 points in September to 26 points in November.

Poe was in second place with 18 percentage points, up 8 points from September.

The senator expressed gratitude for the results, saying it showed that “our people are taking notice and are appreciating my work.” But she refused to read much into the survey, saying results normally changed.

Susan Roces’ advice

Poe said calls for her to run for President were occasionally mentioned in family conversations. She said her mother, actress Susan Roces, would often advise her to “just be ready in any situation.”

“And in whatever situation, especially in government, your intention should be to improve the lives of the greater number, not just yourself,” she quoted Roces as telling her.

Poe said the country was “getting there” in terms of Aquino’s program for good governance.

“When it comes to fighting corruption and upholding transparency in government, it is a process. You don’t achieve this overnight,” she said.

“But I think that the best example is coming from the top office, from the President. If you know that the President is somebody you can trust, that’s already a big factor in discouraging corruption,” Poe said.

“So I think yes, the President is true to his promise. He is leading us toward that [righteous] path. Are we already there 100 percent? No, definitely we need to continue with that struggle.”

Lunch with street kids

From the cemetery, the senator and some of the younger members of the family went to the multipurpose hall of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, for lunch with some 300 children.

The group, composed of mostly street children and kids of vendors in the Quiapo area, received “Panday” backpacks containing snacks. They also joined the Poes for a simple lunch of spaghetti and chicken.

“That’s how we spent the day, a simple lunch with children who are very close to my father’s heart,” Poe told the Inquirer.

She recalled the time when her father would gather children at his old studio for gift-giving and screening of FPJ movies.