“Partido Galing at Puso” senatorial slate. MAILA AGER/INQUIRER.net

Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero finally announced on Thursday their senatorial slate dubbed as “Partido Galing at Puso” which included two members of the administration’s Liberal Party (LP).

The 12 senatorial bets in the slate were the following:

1. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto
2. Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
3. Former Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon
4. Former Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri
5. OFW rights advocate Susan “Toots” Ople
6. Manila Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso
7. Valenzuela Representative Sherwin Gatchalian
8. Pasig Representative Roman Romulo
9. ACT-CIS partylist Representative Samuel Pagdilao
10. Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares
11. Lawyer Lorna Kapunan
12. Actor Edu Manzano

Except for Recto, all 11 senatorial bets were present during the launch of Poe-Escudero’s slate held at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan. The senator was represented by his son, Ryan Christian.

READ: LIST: Senatorial bets in Poe-Escudero’s ‘Team Galing at Puso’

The senatorial bets were first introduced one by one by the slate’s campaign manager, Cebu Representative Ace Durano, and each candidate delivered their speeches.

After introducing all the candidates, vice presidential bet, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, gave a brief speech before introducing Poe.

“Ang presidente ko po walang ‘B.’ Ang presidente ko po may ‘G’ at may ‘P.’ Mayroon po syang angking galing at nasa tamang lugar sa kanyang puso,” he said, referring to Poe.

(My president has no “B.” My president has a “G” and a “P.” She has the competence and has the right place in her heart.)

Escudero used a similar line: “Ang bise presidente ko may ‘B’ (My president has a “B.”)” when he was campaigning for Vice President Jejomar Binay in 2010. The two parted ways when Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) dropped the senator from its slate in 2013.

Poe, in her speech, explained why and how they picked their senatorial bets.

“Sa pagbuo po ng grupong ito, naging gabay ko po ang paniniwala na hindi sapat na magaling at matalino ka upang manilbihan sa gobyenro, importante ang may puso at pagmamalasakit sa kapwa lalong lalo na ang mga naghihirap at nangangailangan,” she said.

(In forming this group, I used as a guide the belief that being competent and smart is not enough to serve the country. It is important that one has a heart and care for fellows, especially those who are in need.)

“Pero hindi rin naman pwedeng puso lang…kailangang mahusay at masipag ka din kaya po tinawag nating ‘Partido Galing at Puso,’” Poe further explained.

(However, having a heart doesn’t end there. One should be competent and diligent that is why we called it “Partido Galing at Puso.”)

READ: Poe-Escudero’s senatorial slate posters shown ahead of announcement

Two members of the slate—Recto and Romulo—are LP members. However, unlike the senator, who is also part of the LP senatorial ticket, the congressman is running exclusively under the Poe-Escudero team.

Aside from Recto, other shared candidates in the Team GP are: Sotto, Gordon, Zubiri, and Ople, who are all also part of the UNA’s ticket, and Moreno, who has been adopted by vice presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

LP is supporting the presidential bid of former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas while UNA’s standard-bearer is Vice President Jejomar Binay.

The exclusive senatorial bets of Poe and Escudero aside from Romulo are Kapunan, Zubiri, Gatchalian, Pagdilao and Colmenares. RAM