‘Bricks to build a castle’

Senator Grace Poe could finally talk now with ease about her personal experience as a neophyte politician who entered a presidential contest. For the first time, Sen. Poe broke her silence and spoke freely about how she coped with her loss to President Rodrigo Duterte.

Barely a few hours after the electronic results of the May 9 presidential elections started coming, Poe called a press conference that very late in the evening to announce she conceded defeat to the former Davao City mayor as president-elect.

Poe was the first to concede defeat after Duterte dislodged her as top favorite in the pre-polls surveys toward the last few weeks of the presidential campaign. And before doing so, she first called up Duterte to give him the heads up about her conceding defeat.

In the course of their telephone conversation, Poe took the opportunity to ask a “favor” to please stop calling her
“American.” From the other end of the line, she recalled, she could hear the giggled response of Duterte and assuaged her there was nothing personal to it but it was just for the political campaign.

The renunciation of her being a Filipino to become American citizen, among other attacks against her during the campaign apparently took a toll on her emotionally. 

Attending our weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday, Sen. Poe told us she found comfort in the favorite song of her 11-year-old daughter, the “New Romantics” sang by multi-Grammy awardee Taylor Swift.

In particular, she picked up from the lyrics of the song which goes this way: “’Cause, baby, I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me. And every day is like a battle but every night with us is like a dream.”

While she has moved on after her sorry loss in the last election, Poe dreads at even entertaining thoughts to make another presidential run in May, 2022. Definitely, however, Poe will seek a second term as Senator in the coming mid-term elections in May 2019.

In the meantime, her joining the “super majority” was a manifestation of Poe’s belief in the leadership of President Duterte aside from the fact he won the election by 16 million votes – with six million margin of votes to Roxas from far second.

Proof of such trust to the sincerity of President Duterte to lead the country out of the wave of crime and corruption, Poe vowed to carry the ball in the 17th Congress to pass into law as soon as possible the proposed emergency powers to address the traffic crisis in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

So far, the Senate committee on public services that she chairs has already started public hearings on the proposed emergency powers for the traffic crisis. Taking off from the Freedom of Information (FOI) executive order that President Duterte issued, Poe said she would include a provision under the emergency powers bill that requires all projects and contracts be FOI-compliant.

By doing so, she pointed out, the public would be apprised about the status of the projects, costs and expenditures of the government. 

Speaking of expenditures, Poe chuckled at the fact that she became the “biggest” spender during the election campaign. She ran as “independent” presidential candidate, with no political party to financially back up her bid.

“That was the most expensive diet and weight reducing program I went through,” Poe wisecracked. She lost as much as 20 pounds during the campaign that kept her in long hours of travels around the country, with barely three hours of sleep and missed meals. She told us she regained four pounds so far and would like to keep her present weight as ideal for her.

From among the five presidential candidates based on their official submission to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Poe reported in her statement of contributions and expenses (SOCE) total expenses of P510,845,262.56 and campaign contributions stood at P511,950,000.

I would not be surprised if Poe may run under the administration umbrella in the next Senate elections in May 2019 for her second and last term at the Senate. She is among the first Senators to join the “super majority” coalition in the 17th Congress while it was still organized by the PDP-LABAN party of President Duterte.

While she remains independent Senator, or with no political party affiliation up to now, it is not far-fetched Poe may possibly run under the 12-man Senate ticket of President Duterte.

With President Duterte now getting the brunt of attacks and criticisms in his first 100 days in office, the lyrics of Poe’s favorite Taylor Swift’s song aptly fits him now:

“We’re all bored              

 We’re all so tired of everything

 We wait for trains that just aren’t coming

 We show off our different scarlet letters

 Trust me mine is better?

 We’re so young that we’re on the road to ruin?

 We play dumb?

 But we know exactly what we’re doing?

 We cry tears?

 Of mascara in the bathroom?

 Honey life is just a classroom??

 Cause baby I could build a castle?

 Out of all the bricks they threw at me?

 And every day it’s like battle?

 But every night with us is like a dream?

 Baby we’re the new romantics?

Come on, come along with me?

 Heartbreak is the national anthem?

 We sing it proudly?

 We are too busy dancing?

 Baby we’re the new romantics?

 The best people in life are free??

 We’re all here?

 The lights and noise are blinding?

 We hang back?It’s all in the timing?It’s poker, you can’t  

 see in my face?

 But I’m about to play my ace?

 We need love, but all we want is danger?

 We team up and switch sides like a record changer?

 The rumors, are terrible and cruel?

 But honey most of them are true.”

While Poe closely associated herself with the song, she could perhaps only commiserate with President Duterte who is at the receiving end of brickbats thrown his way.