Poe urges voters: Choose a ‘stable’ leader

Senator Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay—In another apparent swipe at Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe urged voters on Thursday to choose a leader who is “stable,” with a word of honor but will not use violence, or they might regret it.

“Naniniwala ako na hindi dapat matakot ang tao sa gobyerno, ang gobyerno ang dapat na matakot sa tao kapag hindi nito ginagawa ang kanyang trabaho at hindi talaga ako naniniwala sa bayolenteng paraan nang pagwawakas ng mga suliranin natin,” Poe said in an interview with reporters when she arrived here at the airport after lunch.

(I believe that the people should not fear the government; it is the government that should fear the people if it fails to do its job. I also do not believe in a violent resolution to our problems.)

READ: In the end, it will be Poe vs Duterte

“Sa ating mga kabayayan, ito lang naman ang punto ko dito. Piliin natin kung sino ang makakaahon sa atin sa kahirapan pero hindi bala ang sagot sa ating problema. Magsisi po tayo dahil napagdaanan na natin ‘yan,” she said.

(To my countrymen, this is my point: Let’s elect someone who will lift us  from poverty without having to use bullets to solve our problems. We might regret it because we have already gone through a similar experience.)

“Kung tayo mismo ay matatakot na maghayag ng ating saloobin dahil lamang baka mapagkamalan tayo at mapag-tripan tayo, kelangan sa namumuno, ako sa palagay ko, unang-una kung ano kanyang salita ay kanyang gagawin.”

(We should not be afraid to speak up for fear that we might be mistaken. I believe we need a leader who will do what he says.)

A good leader, Poe said, should also know how to respect his people.

Duterte has been widely criticized for supposedly disrespecting women, the latest instance of which was his “rape joke” when he said that he would  have wanted to have first dibs on Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill, who was gang-raped and killed by prisoners in a jailhouse riot in Davao City in 1989.

It was also Duterte, who promised to stamp out criminality and illegal drugs in the country within six months should he be elected president.

Poe also took a swipe at the mayor when she urged the voters to choose a leader who has a word of honor.

Poe said that unlike Duterte, she is willing to sign a waiver on the bank secrecy law if there are questions on her bank deposits.

“Why not? Para sa akin lang, hindi sa sinasakyan ko itong issue na ito, importante ang privacy, lahat naman kami kahit na government official, pero siguro mas nangingibabaw ang transparency,” she said.

(Why not? It’s not that I am riding on this issue; I believe that privacy is important, but for us government officials, transparency is more important.)

“So kung meron talagang question, I’m willing to do it. Kaya lang siguro ang issue lang talaga ngayon ay ito, lahat tayo pinaghahawakan natin ang salita ng ating mga tumatakbong kandidato so pag may binitawang salita noon, wala namang naghahamon, sila mismo ang nagsabi na willing sila tapos ngayon na meron nang basehan ayaw na naman.”

(If there are questions (about my wealth), I’m willing to do it. The issue here is we should hold on to the promises of the candidates. Whether there are challengers or none, they should be able to be true to their word.)

Poe was apparently referring to Duterte, who has rejected calls for him to sign a waiver after Senator Antonio Trillanes IV accused him of allegedly having an undeclared P211 million.

READ: Sign waiver, Duterte dared

“Sana naman isang lider din na mapanghahawakan natin ang isang salita kasi papano na ngayon yan? Kailangan ba tayong magmakaawa pag merong pinangako at hindi tinupad? Kailangan ba nating magmakaawa para tuparin ang mga pangako na yun?”

(Let us choose a leader who keeps his word. Should we have to plead  for them to fulfill those promises?)

“Kailangan natin ng isang pangulo na stable, na kung ano ang binitawang salita, tinutupad na hindi nananakot kasi apektado din lahat ng ating trabaho ditto, tandaan n’yo,” she added.

(We need a leader who is stable, who will stand by his word, who will not intimidate, because our jobs are on the line here.)

Asked about  observations that she is the only person standing in the way of Duterte, who is leading the latest pre-election surveys, Poe said: “Maybe we’re standing in front of each other.”

READ: Duterte posts 12-point lead over Poe in new Pulse Asia poll

“Sa tingin ko, hindi naman siguro makatarungan na sabihin na I’m standing in his way (I don’t think it is fair to say that I’m standing in his way). He could also be standing in my way.” IDL