‘Dear Grace and Chiz, please don’t come’

THEY were all set to party but the invitation was withdrawn.

Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero have been disinvited by TawiTawi officials belonging to the Liberal Party (LP) from the province’s Kamahardikaan Festival on Sunday.

In a joint statement, Poe and Escudero said they were asked two months ago to grace the celebration by Gov. Nurbert Sahali and Rep. Ruby Sahali, who are both LP members.

The invitation was sent on July 20, two months before the senators announced they were running for president and vice president as a team. They were supposed to be guests of honor and speakers at the Sept. 27 event.

The annual Kamahardikaan showcases Tawi-Tawi’s heritage, economic potential and festive nature.

Three days before the scheduled event, however, the Sahalis took back the invitation.

“It is unfortunate the invitation to attend the Foundation Day of Tawi-Tawi on Sunday was withdrawn for political reasons. We know the people of Tawi-Tawi had been preparing for our visit on the invitation of Gov. Nurbert Sahali and Congresswoman Ruby Sahali, who both belong to the Liberal Party,” the senators said in their statement.

The Tawi-Tawi event would have been the first public outing of Poe and Escudero together following the formal announcement of their team up.

With their declaration, Poe would be up against LP standard bearer Mar Roxas, while Escudero has to wait for the LP to announce its vice presidential candidate.

Poe and Escudero said they understood the Sahalis’ position.

“We understand that it must have been very difficult for them to withdraw the invitation. In spite of this, we express our heartfelt appreciation for all their efforts,” they said.