The presidency is not about resumés, it’s about quality service – Poe

Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares concedes she has a “lean resume” compared to the presidential bets of the administration and the opposition party.

“For me, having a lean resume isn’t bad at all especially if you don’t have any excess baggage,” she told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI) forum where she and three other presidential candidates were invited.

Poe was responding to criticisms about her public service experience from the camp of Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez, the campaign spokesperson of Roxas said that among the presidential candidates, Poe’s credentials are lacking compared to Roxas, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Excess baggage Gutierrez noted that Poe has not even completed her six-year term as a senator and her stint as chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) was brief.

“Yes, it’s true that I have the shortest time in government but as I said before, the elections would be more difficult for those who have excess baggage,” said Poe who is facing a string of disqualification cases over citizenship and residency issues.

Compared to other bets, Poe believes having a lean but “meaty” and quality service is enough in the pursuit of the highest government position.

“That is what I believe is the most important thing. I concede that compared to the others I have the shortest time in public service. But I truly believe that we need a different point of view of other people because we are facing different problems and issues that we need to find solutions for,” she said. No personal attacks

Gutierrez’ broadside came despite earlier pronouncement by Roxas that their campaign would not include personal attacks against their rivals until election day.

“On our part, I and Congresswoman Leni (Robredo) believe that how we campaign is an indication of how we will govern,” Roxas told reporters at the LP Headquarters in Quezon City recently.

“So we will on the high-level, we will focus on the issues, the programs to convince our countrymen that it is good for the country to continue the programs of Daang Matuwid (straight path). That will be our concentration,” he added.

Best and brightest

Once she becomes president, Poe said she will invite the best and brightest to be part of her “official” family.

“Competence will be the main hiring criterion,” Poe added.

“I don’t care if you didn’t vote for me, for as long as you can do the job, you’ll be in. If you are from the private sector, perhaps, I can convince you to take a six-year sabbatical of poverty, knowing how much less you are going to be paid in the public sector,” she added.

“Every appointee of mine will be covered by and subscribed to an individual performance pledge. It is not enough that you give a rundown of what your job entails. The important thing is to demand a rundown of deliverables,” she said. Poe might even transform one of the rooms in Malacañang into a “war room” where her staff can map out the different infrastructure projects they intend to roll out in the next six years.

Infra map “We should transform – and this may be a bold move – one of the rooms in Malacañang into an infrastructure war room for projects, with real time feedback capability, if possible,” she said.

“We should draw all kinds of maps, from poverty maps, disaster maps, tax maps, and we should try an infra map for change,” stressed Poe.

“My specs for such maps contain the following: how much will it cost, when will it be completed. We will also put an employment odometer in each, which means we will be able to estimate how many jobs each project will cost,” she added.

FOI bill In her first 100 days in office, Poe said she would send Congress a ramp of priority bills stamped with urgency to be passed into law.

One of these she said, is the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill that failed to be enacted into law by the Aquino administration.

“In the first 100 days, for example, we should be sending to Congress a ramp of bills to be passed with dispatch. First, is the Freedom of Information Bill, which I have sponsored and debated on in the Senate as the chairman of Public Information and Mass Media,” Poe said.

“Second, is the new anti-red tape act. If you read the newspapers today, it says that the outdated regulations cost our country R140-billion in opportunity losses,” she said.

Poe assured that the private sector will be the government’s partner in development.

“We will not be successful if we do not help each other and I can guarantee you that having been raised by parents who are also entrepreneurs, I understand the challenges that face the business community but we belong to the small business owners, what more the many others trying to get a loan from the bank, trying to get their permits approve,” she said.

“So these are the things that I feel that we can concentrate on so that we can increase foreign direct investments and so we can also help our local businessman,” added the senator.