Senator Grace Poe INQUIRER PHOTO/ARNOLD ALMACEN
“She left a really good impression.”
This was the statement of Nationalist People’s Coalition executive vice president and former Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit after Sen. Grace Poe, together with Sen. Francis Escudero, met with NPC members anew on Tuesday evening.
Exactly a week after meeting with NPC stalwarts, Poe and Escudero sat down with NPC lawmakers and governors from the Visayas and Mindanao at the party’s headquarters in New Manila, Quezon City.
Noting that the meeting was consultative in nature, Duavit said more NPC members want to get to know the lady senator better.
“Maganda kasi naprocess na namin yung inputs nila from the last meeting. Overall we’re really positive, the impression she (Grace) left,” Duavit said of the meeting. “Well it’s consultative in nature but it has a very big impact. It’s more of a getting-to-know-you.”
“We supported her father in the 2004 elections, pero yung marami,hindi pa siya nakikilala personally. ‘Yun nga, maganda ang kanyang impression na naiwan,” he added.
Poe said individual party members expressed encouragement and support whatever her political plans in 2016 would be, adding that it was heartwarming to be with people who supported the presidential run of her late father, Fernando Poe Jr., in 2004.
“Ang NPC ay nagpupulung-pulong pa rin, pero para sakin ang makakita ka ng mga dating sumuporta sa ama mo is very encouraging. Marami sa kanila ang nagbibigay ng pahayag ng kanilang suporta, at ang iba sa kanila aside from support ang sabi nagdadasal sila na sana ay maabot ko kung ano man ang aking layunin,” Poe said in an interview with reporters.
Asked if the two meetings with NPC gave her more clarity and confidence on what role to pursue in next year’s polls, Poe said what was important was that she became more aware of the pressing needs of Filipinos in the localities.
“Marami akong natututunan, ‘yun ang importante. Mas lalo kong nakikita ang malaking pangangailangan ng mas marami pa nating kababayan. Mas kumpiyansa akog mas naiintindihan ko at ang importante ay mahanapan ng solusyon,” Poe said.
“Marami na rin naman na sa mga probinsya nila ang napuntahan na namin. Kapag nag iisip tayo kung ano ang pwede pang gawin para sa ating mga kababayan hindi lang naman Metro Manila ang ating iniisip. So yun ang tinanong natin kasi ang bawat rehiyon, bawat probinsiya may pangangailangan,” she added.
But the lady senator maintained that the meeting was not mainly political.
“Palagi namang masaya ang meeting ng NPC. Kasi akala ng iba ang lagi lang naming pinag-uusapan pulitika. May mga katatawanan, kwentuhan. Para sa’kin it’s always heartwarming to get together with old friends,” she said.
Duavit said NPC will have a third meeting with Poe and Escudero in the coming weeks, which will be attended by mayors and other local officials.
“Ang maganda kay Sen. Poe siya ang nagtatanong, hindi siya ‘yung nagdidikta,” Duavit added.
Poe and Escudero, who are believed to run as tandem in the 2016 national elections, met with NPC members on August 11 at the same venue on Balete Drive.
While noting that no formal talks regarding next year’s polls transpired last Tuesday, Poe previously said individual NPC members had expressed their encouragement and support for her to run for president in 2016.
Poe, who topped recent preference surveys for both potential presidential and vice presidential bets, is being wooed by the ruling Liberal Party to be the running mate of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.
NPC stalwarts also met with Roxas over a closed-door breakfast on Aug. 11.
NPC president and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao previously said many members of the party are leaning toward supporting Poe if she would run for President.
Poe and Escudero, however, are yet to announce if they will seek higher office next year.
With two senators, at least 40 House of Representatives members, 14 governors, 22 city mayors, and hundreds of municipal mayors, NPC is the second-largest political party in the Philippines, after LP.
“Importante (ang meetings) kasi ang NPC ay malaking partido rin. At hindi lang sa laki ng partido, abot nila ang maraming mga probinsya sa Pilipinas,” Poe added.
NPC would decide as a party who to support in 2016. Yuji Vincent Gonzales/TVJ
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