Grace reunites with FPJ’s kin

SAN CARLOS CITY, Philippines – Presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe was reunited with the kin of her late adoptive father Fernando Poe Jr. in this city during her team’s campaign sortie in Pangasinan.

In their first provincial stop after the campaign kickoff at Plaza Miranda in Manila last week, Poe and her running mate Sen. Francis Escudero chose the vote-rich Pangasinan where agriculture is king. 

After visiting three different schools in the cities of Dagupan and San Carlos, Poe and Escudero held their first political rally outside of Metro Manila at the Federico Muñoz Mandapat sports complex in San Carlos where almost all of the senatorial candidates under Team Galing at Puso (Team GP) were present.

Addressing a big crowd on Friday night, Sen. Poe unloaded her sentiments over the citizenship and residency issues being used to disqualify her from the presidential race. 

“They say I’m not a real Filipino because I was only found in a church. Some say I have no right to run and serve the people. Others say my life is like a drama and a teleserye,” she said.

But she said her life is like that of the rest of Filipinos who go through some difficulties and problems, and her father taught her never to surrender and fight for what’s right.

Sen. Poe said the dream of her father for the people is that they have equal opportunities.

“(These are) the traits of being courageous but humble, which he learned from his forebears here,” she said.

The kin of the late movie actor are still residing in Barangay Caoayan Kiling.

Poe ran for president in 2004 but lost to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. After his death, there were allegations that Arroyo’s camp cheated in the elections.

Twelve years later, his adopted daughter is running for president and appealing to the Supreme Court the Commission on Elections’ decision to disqualify her over citizenship and residency issues.

The citizenship of Sen. Poe is being questioned because the nationality of her biological parents is unknown. Under the Constitution, only natural-born Filipinos are qualified to run for president.

Escudero said he expects the Supreme Court to come out with its decision on the case of Poe next month. – With Marvin Sy