POE in 2016

‘No one has a monopoly on Daang Matuwid’

Believing nobody has a monopoly on “Daang Matuwid (Straight Path),” Senator Grace Poe last night officially declared her run for the presidency in 2016, vowing to step up the drive against corruption.

Poe, in her signature white polo and blue jeans, bared her political plans at the University of the Philippines (UP) Bahay ng Alumni in Diliman, Quezon City, packed with supporters from various sectors and groups, including showbiz personalities.

“Walang iisang tao o grupo ang may monopolya sa tuwid na daan. Malaki at malayo na ang nagawa ni Pangulong Aquino kaugnay sa pagpapanagot sa mga tiwali, at ako’y nagpapasalamat sa kanya dahil nanumbalik muli ang kumpyansa natin sa isang lider na tapat. Dapat lang na ituloy at paigtingin ang pagsugpo sa korupsyon (No one person or group has a monopoly on a straight path advocacy. President Aquino has done a lot to prosecute those who were corrupt, and I am thankful for what he has done because it brought back people’s trust to an honest leader),” Poe said.

Poe’s statement was a clear dig at administration standard bearer Mar Roxas, who had

earlier took potshots at her for trying to stray from the straight path policy.

“Kung ayaw na niya sa Daang Matuwid ay nasa sa kanya naman po yun, (If she doesn’t want to be part of Daang Matuwid anymore, then that’s her decision),” Roxas said Tuesday after learning Poe was set to announce her plans for 2016.

Poe, adopted daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe, Jr. or FPJ and actress Susan Roces, said her decision was borne out of her desire to fulfill her father’s wish for a better Philippines.

FPJ ran and lost in the 2004 presidential elections against then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He died in December, 2004, after suffering a stroke.

Among her plans should she become president is to push for the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, a key anti-corruption measure that may likely not be passed under President Aquino’s watch.

Members of the administration Liberal Party (LP), particularly President Aquino, had earlier tried to convince Poe to become Roxas’ running mate, but she turned down the offer.

Malacañang wished Poe “all the best” in her decision to run for president in the 2016 elections.

“On the statement of Sen. Grace Poe that we do not have a monopoly on Daang Matuwid, what is clear is we’re running on the platform of Daang Matuwid or of continuity of the reforms President Aquino has undertaken. They are running on a campaign of Bagong Umaga or change. All the aspirations that have been enunciated have been implemented or in the process of being implemented,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

Poe had also rejected teaming up with Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, the United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) standard bearer.

In her speech, Poe laid down at least 20 reforms in various agencies and sectors of Philippine society which she plans to push should she win the presidential elections in 2016.

She vowed to step up the campaign against corruption, a drive started by President Aquino. She said she will do the same without taking sides, whether they are “friends or foes.”

“I will hold the corrupt responsible for their acts, whether they are my friends or foes. But this aspiration should not be controlled by select people or party, but by every Filipino),” she said in her speech delivered in Filipino.

The way to do this, she said, is to pass the FOI bill. Poe is chair of the Senate Committee on Public Information, which passed the Senate version of the measure.

Aquino, when he ran for president in 2010, vowed to pass the measure to ease public access to government records and transactions. However, during his watch, Aquino started dilly-dallying on the FOI bill and failed to rally support for the bill among his allies in Congress.

“In order to enhance transparency in government, we will pass the FOI bill at the soonest time possible,” she said. “That’s our weapon against corruption.”

Poe also promised to pursue a stronger stance on the West Philippine Sea issue through peaceful means, as well as strengthen the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The audience howled in glee when she vowed to pursue reforms in the country’s tax system and to ensure taxpayers are paid back through quality government services.

Poe also guaranteed she will intensify the fight against illegal drugs and criminality.

“Like other mothers, I, too, cannot sleep at night until my children gets home. That’s why for me, the quest to eradicate criminality and illegal drugs is not just part of work. It’s a personal crusade,” Poe said.

She also vowed to resolve the perennial traffic problems in Metro Manila and elsewhere, saying she will keep an eye on the government’s contracts on rail transit systems.

According to Poe, she will allocate 7 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for infrastructure development, particularly the improvement of roads, railways, airports, and seaports.

Believing the Internet is a highway of information, the senator said she will aspire to make connection in the Philippines faster, economical, and affordable.

Poe said she will make efforts to promote renewable energy as a means to address the country’s energy woes.

She said she believes there are ways to lower electricity rates in the Philippines and ensure sufficient power supply in Mindanao, which suffers frequent brownouts that affect the local economy.

The senator also stressed the need for the government to go after the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) by ensuring they are given sufficient legal support, especially those who are on death row.

The senator also took note of climate change, saying it has now become a reality.

“This is not an issue for the rich only; the poor are the ones who are always at the forefront of climate change phenomenon,” she also pointed.

Apart from these, Poe also rolled out her plans on how to boost the country’s tourism sector, and protect the country’s environment and natural resources.

However, Poe did not mentioned in her speech her possible policies toward the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) or the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), but she vowed to continue the government’s peace talks with all secessionist groups in the country.

“To our Muslim brothers, you were my father’s inspiration in the many movies he made, your culture and bravery. For the longest in history, I believe it is time you are given equal opportunity and real help by the government,” she said.

Among those present during Poe’s announcement were her mother Susan, husband Niel, and their three children.

Among the groups that showed up included Filipinos for Peace, Justice, and Progress Movement (FPJPM), Grace Poe Movement, GO Grace Poe, An Waray Partylist represented by Bem Noel, Great People’s Movement for the Philippines, all4gp Movement, AKO-Bicol Partylist, and some youth groups.