Poe on being labeled ‘inexperienced’: In some ways, I am proud of it

Sen. Grace Poe at Holy Angel University in Angeles City. Photo by Ryan Leagogo/INQUIRER.net

A “proud” inexperienced   presidential  aspirant, Senator Grace Poe,  faced  businessmen  on Wednesday, promising a “straightforward” administration with accountability  as its cornerstone.

“Critics have said that I lack the experience of my opponents. I do not deny this, and in some ways, I am even proud of it,”  Poe said  at the 2016  Presidential  Dialogues  held at Dusit Hotel in Makati City. The  forum was hosted by the Makati  Business Club and  Management Association of the Philippines.

READ: Poe: I may lack experience but I’m faithful to the people

“True, I have not had the chance to serve in the Cabinet under three presidents, nor have I nor my immediate family members to run a mayor’s office for several decades, but perhaps that is why people still continue to trust me even with all the cases that have been filed against me, which is now finally resolved,”  she said.

READ: ‘Experienced’ Binay takes a dig at ‘inexperienced’ Poe

The senator was referring to the disqualifications cases  filed  against her over her citizenship and  residency.  But the Supreme  Court   ruled that she is qualified to run for President.

Poe said being an outsider in government and politics also  has “considerable advantages.”

“For starters, one does not carry much baggage; no preconceptions, no assumptions that one has to work within the system however broken; no party mates to reward, subordinates to protect, or pet projects to tiptoe around,” she said.

As a virtual outsider, Poe said, she could  “feign ignorance and bypass the traditional rituals and practices that bind the old-timers.”

She said she could  appoint the best people from outside the usual circles, consult the best minds from here and abroad, and propose fresh solutions to old problems “without worrying whose toes will be stepped on.”

“I believe that what I do lack in experience I can more than make up for by way of genuine desire to serve the country, an openness to non-traditional points of view, and the passion of a person who has consistently believed in doing what is right,” Poe said.

“So, there you have it. This is who I am, Grace Poe, a candidate; a first-term senator, an earnest student in economics, a former school teacher, a parent, a natural-born Filipino,” she added.

Before this,  Poe  enumerated her platforms of government, including winning the war against poverty, attracting  more  investments in the country to create more jobs, among others.

“In my administration, it will be very straightforward. Those who do not meet their targets will be asked to stand down, whether they be friends, classmates, political allies or even running mates,” she said.

“ So, in sum, while I may not be an economist—far from that—or a business person by training, as a former teacher, I do know how to grade performance and to use the right carrots and sticks to elicit good behavior. Accountability will be a cornerstone of my administration,”  Poe added.

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