Grace Poe colleague calls Sheryl Cruz a ‘very smart girl’

TV-movie star Sheryl Cruz (in black, center). LYN RILLON/INQUIRER

A “very smart girl” was how Senator Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III described actress Sheryl Cruz on Wednesday after the latter shared his opinion that Senator Grace Poe is not yet ready to run for president in 2016.

Cruz, in an interview on Tuesday, said even a smart senator like Osmeña thinks that her cousin, Poe, is not yet ready to run for president next year.

READ: Sheryl Cruz’s tell-all on her cousin Grace Poe aborted

Told about the actress’ statement, Osmeña said, “She’s a very smart girl.”

Asked how it would affect Poe’s campaign, “Syempre masakit yun ano (Of course that would hurt),” said the senator.

But knowing Filipinos, the senator expects that some people would question Cruz’s personal motives why she was against Poe’s presidential bid.

But Osmeña explained there are people who just speak their mind and he said their opinion should also be respected.

“May tao naman, hindi naman personalan ang approach sa issue. Kung ganun ang tingin n’ya, sasabihin nya, hindi ka pa hinog e ‘di ka pa hinog, tapos wala naman akong galit sa’yo so we have to learn to respect other people’s opinion,” he said.

(There are people whose approach to the issue is not personal. If she thinks that (Poe) is not yet ready for the position, and that she thinks that way even if she does not hold a grudge against her, then we just have to learn to respect other people’s opinion.)

Poe’s running mate, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, said the issue between the two cousins should be better left resolved within the family.

“Noong panahon ko na ako ang nasa kalagayan na ‘yan, mas naiinisin ko palagi ang anumang personal na (hindi) pagkakaunawaan na huwag nang ihalo sa ingay at gulo ng pulitika. Hayaan na nating ang pamilya ang magresolba n’yan,” Escudero said in a separate interview.

(When I experienced something similar, I opted that any personal misunderstanding be left out of any political noise. Let’s just let their family resolve the matter.)

He was referring to his previous rift with the parents of his wife, actress Heart Evangelista, during the start of their relationship.

But after more than two years, Escudero and Evangelista’s parents patched up their differences that they even gave their full support for the senator’s vice presidential bid next year. Maila Ager/IDL

READ: Heart Evangelista troubles with family over; kin now 100% for Chiz

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