Did LP sabotage Poe-Escudero forum in Roxas bailiwick?

Vice Presidential aspirant Senator Francis Chiz Escudero and presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe face the media during one of the stops in their campaign in Capiz. MAILA AGER/INQUIRER.net

ROXAS CITY, Capiz —Presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe mocked the administration’s “Daang Matuwid” policy when she and her running mate, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, were allegedly barred from holding a consultation forum with students from a school here.

Poe did not confirm if the report was indeed true but responded anyway to the question by a reporter about the alleged report that they were not allowed to conduct a forum at a certain school here.

“Ang Dang Matuwid, hindi dapat pinapayagan ang ganyang bagay,” she said during a press conference here on Wednesday.

(The righteous path should have no room for such stunt.)

“Kaya nga ‘pag sinabi sino talaga ang gumagawa ng nararapat, hindi lang isang particular na daan o particular na grupo.Nakita naman natin na pag hinaluan ng kulay, nawawala ang diwa ng kabutihan at kung ano ang ating pinaglalaban.”

(That’s why we have been saying that no particular group has a monopoly to righteousness. We have witnessed how politicking renders our good intentions useless.)

READ: Supporters welcome Poe, Escudero in Roxas bailiwick

If she’s given a chance to lead the country, Poe said she would not allow this kind of politics.

“’Pag ako nabigyan ng pagkakataon, ang ganitong uri ng pulitika ay hindi ko papayagan sapagkat ang Pilipinas ay para sa bawat Filipino. Ang bawat estudayante at ang bawat mamayan ng bawat lungsod at probinsya ay may karapatan na pakinggan ang mga kandidato para meron silang kaalaman sa kung ano ba ang tamang plataporma,” Poe said.

(If I will be given an opportunity, I will not allow this kind of politics because the Philippines is for all Filipinos. All students and all citizens from all cities and provinces have the right to listen to the candidates so they will know about their platforms.)

She noted that this was also done to her before when the media was not allowed entry to a school. She did not elaborate.

“Sana nabigyan kami ng pagkakataon na kausapin ang mga estudyante. Ginawa na nila sa akin ito noon, sa isang paaralan din na hindi pinapasok na lang ang media pero pinayagan akong magsalita ng dalawang minuto.”

(I hope we were given a chance to talk to the students. They have done this to me before at a school where they did not allow the media to enter but let me speak for just two minutes.)

“Naawa ako sa mga school officials at sa mga estudyante dahil hindi naman sila ang nagpasya noon kaya lamang naiipit sila. Sana pakakataon na nilang ipakita na ang Daang Matuwid ay bukas para sa lahat at hindi lamang para sa iilan,” the senator added.

(I pity the school officials and the students because it was not their decision, but there are being dragged to this. It was (the government’s) chance to show that the Righteous Path welcomes everyone and not just a select few.)

Asked then if she was confirming that they had a scheduled forum in a school here, the senator said: “Basta hindi kami sa isang school. Hindi ko alam kung pati ‘yung sa mall ay hindi natuloy.”

(We were not going to hold it in a school. I don’t know if the forum at a mall has been cancelled too.)

“Kung sakali-sakali nga na hindi natuloy sa paaralan na ‘yun ito ay kadududa sapagkat SOP na namin ‘yun, Marami na din naman kaming napuntahan na paaralan.”

(If ever our forum in that school has been cancelled, it’s suspicious because it’s been our SOP to hold talks in schools. We have been able to visit several schools already.)

“Ayaw ko na ring banggitin ‘yung sa school kasi hindi rin naman sila ang nag-decision talaga noon kung saka-sakali.”

(I don’t want to mention the name of the school anymore because it was not the one that made the decision to cancel it, if ever.)

READ: Poe-Escudero team in Roxas City for campaign

The province is a known bailiwick of Poe’s rival, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. IDL

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