Grace begins another life chapter at Quiapo Church

MANILA, Philippines – Left on the doorstep of a church in Jaro, Iloilo 48 years ago, Sen. Grace Poe feels it’s only fitting that she should begin her toughest political journey in another house of worship – the Quiapo Church.

Accompanied by her husband Neil and eldest son Brian, Poe heard mass at the Quiapo Church a few hours before she went on the stage set up outside for her proclamation rally.

“The story of my life started inside a church. It is fitting that I should launch the next chapter in front of a church,” Poe said.

She promised to govern with compassion and fairness.

“I am Grace Poe, and in your Gobyernong may Puso, you are my family,” the senator said.

With her at the rally were her running mate Sen. Francis Escudero and some of the senatorial candidates under their Team Galing at Puso (GP).

“As my father has told me: in whatever you do in your life, always fill your efforts with prayers. Therefore, in this historic spot – before the people, before God – I offer this pledge: I am Grace Poe, mother, daughter, Filipino,” she told the crowd gathered outside the church, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist but is more popularly known as the church of the Black Nazarene.

“With all my heart and strength, I will uphold and defend programs of a compassionate government, our aspirations for the Filipino family, our hopes for the country and our children and to those who have gone to great lengths to tarnish my good name, I am ready to defend my Filipino identity, here and now,” Poe said.

The senator is contesting before the Supreme Court her disqualification from the presidential race by the Commission on Elections.

“Some have argued that, because I am a foundling, I can never be a true Filipino. That because I am a woman, I can never fight a man’s fight or do a man’s job. That because I lack experience, I also do not have competence. There are even those who say that my life is just too full of drama,” Poe said.

“Maybe my life is replete with drama because, like the majority of Filipinos, there are difficulties that I have to struggle with. I have been oppressed and belittled, but I rise to fight again after each battle, after the passing of each storm of my life and fate,” she said.

“They may well call it drama, but this is my real life. It is the reality that many Filipinos live everyday,” she added.

Lessons from parents

The senator said she draws strength from people she has known all along as her parents – actress Susan Roces and the late action star Fernando Poe Jr.

She said her parents have instilled in her integrity, diligence and hard work, courtesy, kindness and consideration for others.

“Armed with these qualities and values, I am running for the presidency of our country, so that I may stand and fight with all of you whose lives are full of drama, whose daily pain and struggles are drawn from long experience,” she declared.

“I am here for you. I am here because we all draw from the same pain and because, despite this, we have not given up, and will continue to dream and strive for a better life for our families,” she said.

“Each of us should be able to realize our dreams. Every child should be able to dream of becoming a teacher, a policeman, a prosperous farmer, a lawyer, even a president of our country,” Poe said.

Her proclamation rally showcased some of the biggest stars on television, including Eat Bulaga mainstays Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo and Ruby Rodriguez who served as hosts of the event.

Team GP senatorial candidates are Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, former senators Richard Gordon and Juan Miguel Zubiri, lawyer Lorna Kapunan, party-list Reps. Samuel Pagdilao and Neri Colmenares, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, OFW advocate Susan Ople, Senator Vicente Sotto III and Ralph Recto, Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo and actor Edu Manzano.

Recto, Zubiri and Manzano were not present during the rally but sent their representatives to deliver their respective speeches.

P-Noy’s guest

Poe on Monday showed up at the birthday party of President Aquino just as her rival in the presidential race, Manuel Roxas II, was leaving. It was not the first time she has been invited to  attend the very exclusive birthday party of Aquino, but her presence was remarkable because she had declined the President’s offer to be Roxas’ runningmate.

Aquino appointed her MTRCB chief at the start of his term in 2010. The party was held at the clubhouse near the presidential residence Bahay Pangarap.

Meanwhile, at the continuation of oral arguments at the SC on her disqualification case, another magistrate has expressed support for her position on being a foundling and eligible candidate for president.

Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza questioned the factual basis of the Comelec for disqualifying the senator.

The magistrate said he believes it’s the poll body that should bear the burden of providing evidence to justify its conclusion that Poe is not a natural-born citizen.

“Where in the two resolutions of the Comelec did it make a finding of fact based on other evidence presented by Poe? To my mind, you did not make a factual determination based on evidence,” Jardeleza said in his interpellation of Comelec commissioner Arthur Lim.

In response, Lim stressed that the Comelec discussed the facts presented in the case regarding Poe’s status as a foundling.

Jardeleza also stressed that while the Constitution is silent on the status of foundlings, they should be accorded the same rights as any citizen of the country.

“This is a very difficult case because there is a great silence by the Constitution about what to do with foundlings. (The Constitution) does not contain the word ‘foundlings,’ it does not tell us what to do. We must decide this based on the bill of rights, specifically on the basis of due process clause and the equal protection clause,” the justice said.

“Comelec may have crossed a line. You may have deprived petitioner Poe of a due process right,” he said.

Just like Jardeleza, two other SC justices seemed to have sympathized with Poe’s plight and raised rights of foundlings – Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

Team GP campaign manager Cebu Rep. Joseph Ace Durano told a news conference they expect the SC to rule on her cases late this month or early next month.

“After today’s oral arguments hearing, our information is that the justices will have one more hearing next week. After that, they will give the parties five days to submit their respective memoranda, and after the submissions, they will make a decision within 10 days,” he said.

“So we expect the decision by the end of this month or by early March,” he said, adding it would likely be on or before March 9.

He also stressed the senator would not ride on the popularity of her father.

“No, the campaign is not about FPJ. Ninety percent of it will be about Senator Grace, her accomplishments and her platform of government. That will be the core of our messaging.”

Back to No. 1

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Magdalo group from Feb. 3 to 5 showed Poe regaining the lead in the presidential race, with 29.9 percent of the votes.

Davao City Rodrigo Duterte took second spot with 26.6 percent. He was statistically tied with Vice President Jejomar Binay who got 25.5 percent.

Coming in fourth place was former interior chief Manuel Roxas II with 14 percent, followed by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago with 3.3 percent.

Magdalo party-list  Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo said that as in their previous pre-election surveys, randomly selected respondents in the latest survey were given a list of candidates for president/vice president, and were asked: “If elections would be held today, who among the following candidates would you vote for?” –  With Edu Punay, Jess Diaz, Cecille Suerte Felipe