Grace Poe: I’m not salivating over presidency

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE. Sen. Grace Poe answers questions about her citizenship and eligibility for the presidency a day after the opposition questioned her qualifications for the office. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Amid growing speculations on her possible role in the 2016 elections, Sen. Grace Poe on Saturday said she was not rushing to announce her political plans as she was still considering a lot of factors, including family life.

Asked when she would disclose her candidacy, Poe, who had been figuring strong in presidential polls, said seeking higher office would need a lot of long-term thinking.

“Para sa akin hindi po ako talaga, pasensya na po sa gagamitin kong term, pero hindi po kasi ako naglalaway sa pwesto na ’yan, na parang bang kailangan nang mangyari ’yun (Pardon me for the term that I am going to use, but I am not salivating over that position, as if it needs to happen soon),” she said in an interview with radio station dzMM.

“All of your energy, your mindset, and even your emotions—everything would be about the campaign and your plans in the next six years,” she added, noting that the presidency was a “privilege” that required huge responsibility.

Although saying her family members were not preventing her from running, the senator said she still needed to look after them, particularly her children—the youngest of which was 10 years old.

“It’s difficult to say because they are still young. Even if I have a responsibility to the public, my children see me as their mother when I come home,” she said. “So for them, and I think for all of us, we all want to be with our mothers.”

Despite initial worries, Poe added her husband Neil Llamanzares seemed to trust the way she handled political issues involving her.

“Panay ang tanong niya kung kumusta na ako. Siguro nakita na rin niya na, siguro napahanga din siya na naha-handle ko naman itong mga bagay na ito,” she said. RC