Poe denies offering money to Binay to withdraw

Presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe delivers her speech before the residents and supporters during campaign rally in Pagbilao, Quezon. EDWIN BACASMAS

Senator Grace Poe vehemently denied sending a feeler to Vice President Jejomar Binay to offer him money allegedly in exchange for his withdrawal from the presidential race.

“Absolutely not, absolutely not,” Poe said when a reporter asked if it was true that she sent businessman Bobby Ongpin to talk and convince Binay to withdraw. Ongpin has been known to be a close friend and supporter of Senator Francis Escudero, her running mate.

READ: Ongpin: Chiz Escudero and Heart Evangelista are my dear friends

 “The first time I ever saw him (Ongpin) was in the wedding of Senator Chiz (Escudero) and that was it. I never talked to him. If there’s anybody that I would trust, it’s the same people that you see with me most of the time,” she said.

“I think it’s very unfair that people will make that allegation. To talk to anybody to withdraw, I think, is too presumptuous of me and I think it’s too—definitely not,” she said.

 Poe said she also has no money to make such offer and even if she has, she said she would spend it for her own campaign.

‘Yan na talaga, ‘piso isa’ na talaga ang chismis pagdating sa eleksyon (That’s it, rumors like that circulate as elections near),” she said.

“Unang-una (First), how can I reimburse billions of pesos? If I need it, in my own campaign siguro. But right now, I have no means to be able to give that to anybody. At para din sa atin, pagdating sa campaign contributions, mag-ingat din tayo sa mga nagsasabi sa mga regalong tinatanggap nila. ‘Yon siguro ang mas glaring.”

(For us, when it comes to campaign contributions, let’s be careful of the gifts we receive. That’s what’s more glaring.)

Poe did not elaborate but her rival, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte earlier admitted receiving gifts, including properties and cars from his friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. TVJ

READ: Duterte admits receiving gifts from Quiboloy