DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – A Palace official’s pronouncement that high popularity ratings alone don’t a good leader make is something Sen. Grace Poe won’t dispute.
“I believe in that,” Poe said, referring to a statement from Presidential Communications Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. last Tuesday that competence and adherence to reforms – not high survey ratings – are the qualities the ruling Liberal Party (LP) has considered in choosing its standard bearer in the 2016 elections.
But she said length of service in government is also not a reliable gauge of leadership.
Poe remains mum on her plans for 2016 despite topping popularity surveys among possible presidential candidates in 2016.
“It should really be about the quality of leadership that you can offer, but I also think that being a leader is not just experience or the length of time that you served in government,” she told reporters here after consultations with students of Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU) and University of Luzon (UL).
“Leadership is about having the capability to unite our countrymen, bridge relationships and especially provide solutions to their concerns,” she said in Filipino.
Coloma said on Tuesday that despite Poe’s high popularity ratings, the LP has never felt compelled to make her its presidential candidate.
He said the LP acknowledges the preeminence of competence and commitment to reforms in choosing Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II as its standard bearer.
Poe emphasized she remains grateful to President Aquino and to Roxas for inviting her to be the administration vice presidential candidate.
“With all humility, I am thankful to the President as he constantly reminds us that what’s most important to all is to do what is right for the people, which must be the basis of our decision,” she said.
Poe also said she has received advice from Sister Agnes Guillen – a spiritual adviser of the Aquino family – to remain calm and just surrender herself to the will of God.
“Whatever God wills and if you have purpose above yourself, it will happen,” Poe said, quoting the nun.
Asked about her chances of finally deciding to run for president, she said she would rather travel around the country first to get the sentiment of the people.
“What’s more important in case you decide is what would be your solutions to the problems the people are facing,” she said.
Poe said she is happy with her dialogues with the youth, whom she called “wealth of the nation.”
Comfortable with Chiz
On speculations that she and Sen. Francis Escudero would form a tandem with her as presidential candidate, Poe said “we have not yet come up with a decision about that.”
But she reiterated that Escudero is “good and I’m comfortable with him.”
She added there was no deal yet between her and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) regarding next year’s polls.
Former Pangasinan congressman Mark Cojuangco, son of NPC founder and chairman emeritus Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., is openly supporting the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar Binay. But Cojuangco clarified it was his personal choice and that he would abide by whatever is decided by the party.
“Let’s just respect their personal choices. I know former congressman Mark Cojuangco has spoken that he would wait for their party’s decision,” Poe said.
Poe also visited yesterday the Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation in San Carlos City, home city of her late father, movie icon Fernando Poe Jr.
She also spoke with business leaders during her Pangasinan trip.
Poe reminded students of LNU and UL of the power of social media, used mostly by young people.
She said even the government succumbed to pressure from netizens, mostly youth, when it aborted the planned random physical inspection of balikbayan boxes by the Bureau of Customs.
“How strong is your voice? Within a few days no less than the President said that they would not push through with the plan,” she said.
The BOC would instead do mandatory X-ray examination of containers of consolidated shipments and balikbayan boxes at no cost to the sender or overseas Filipino worker.
“That’s how important social media is,” she said.
She said the government should relax some regulatory practices that only hurt ordinary people but are ineffective against corruption.
She exhorted her young audience to expose corruption in their midst or face a bleak future. Poe said social media should also be used as tool for airing concerns regarding governance.
“Use the Internet to relay to authorities your needs, your sentiments,” she said.
She said access to the Internet has been declared a basic human right by the United Nations.
But she bewailed the slow Internet access in the Philippines – at only 2 megabytes per second as against Thailand’s 19 mbps, the United States’ 22 mbps and Japan’s 61 mbps.
“Not only that. In entire Asia, we’re number two with the slowest Internet speed next to Afghanistan, where there is war now,” she added.
Belittling Poe
A Poe ally in the House of Representatives, meanwhile, said the Palace should not belittle the senator as none of the possible presidential candidates can claim experience for bragging rights.
“There is no one presidential candidate who has experience in being a president because we don’t have reelection here,” Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe said in a telephone interview.
Batocabe said Aquino’s only experience when he ran in 2010 was as congressman and as senator.
He said Poe had an extensive experience in the private sector and in the executive branch when she chaired the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. “Malacañang should not downplay popularity because that translates to mandate. When you have a strong mandate, you’ll be an effective leader because the people will support your policies and programs,” Batocabe said. – With Paolo Romero, Cesar Ramirez