Poe reading a lot, being briefed by experts for Cebu debate

Presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe is ready for battle.

Her running mate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Saturday said Poe, who has maintained her lead among other candidates in recent preference surveys, is more than prepared for the second presidential debate which will be held in Cebu on Sunday.

“Well, she’s been reading a lot. She’s been reading a lot. More than anything else, she’s being briefed by various sectoral experts on various fields, particularly for the topic, which is Visayas,” Escudero told reporters in Cebu City.

READ: Poe admits reading from her notes during CDO debate

Asked how he has been helping Poe, Escudero said he only answer questions when she asks him.

READ: Palace twits Poe for channeling her ‘inner Escudero’ in CDO debate

Claiming she is armed with research and platforms, Poe herself said she is ready to face the crowd at the University of the Philippines-Cebu and present solutions to the pressing issues hounding the country.

“Marami talagang kailangan paghandaan kasi ang dami ding problema ng ating bansa. So kapag sasabihin mo sa maikling panahon lamang ang solusyon, baka kulang ang oras. Kaya kailangan mahimay natin, ano ba ‘yung mga importante na kailangan malaman ng ating mga kababayans,” she told reporters in an ambush interview.

(We really need to prepare because our country is beset with many problems. So if you will propose your solutions in just a short period of time, that may not be enough. So we really need to dissect the things that the people really need to know.)

All presidential candidates except Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago are expected to attend the debate on Sunday, sponsored by TV5 and the Philippine Star. In a statement, Santiago said she would undergo a clinical trial for a new anticancer pill which would give her free access to the medication.

Poe said the debates won’t be the same without Santiago, whom she said was probably the “sharpest” and “smartest” among presidential candidates.

“First of all, I pray for Senator Santiago. Certainly, the debates won’t be the same without her because she’s perhaps the sharpest, the smartest among all of us. So I pray that in the next debates she can join us,” she said.

The debate proper will run for about three hours from 5 p.m. and will focus on disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation, healthcare, education, and fight against corruption. A third presidential debate will be held on April 24 in Luzon. IDL