"Ako po si Grace Poe. Pilipino. Anak, asawa at ina, at sa tulong ng Mahal na Diyos ay inaalay ko sa inyong lahat ang aking sarili sa mas mataas na paninilbihan bilang inyong Pangulo." [I am Grace Poe. A Filipino. A daughter, wife and mother. And with God’s grace, I offer myself for the country’s highest calling as your President.]
16th September 2015. We dropped by UP Diliman in the mid-afternoon to get a hair-cut at the shopping center. On the way out, we saw people wearing some kind of white 'uniform', which on closer look had slogans in blue declaring support for Grace Poe. I was surprised when told that the senator is going to announce her bid for the presidency in the early evening at the UP Bahay ng Alumni.
Well, I soon found myself looking for a vantage point to record the newsbreaking moment. The program was brief. As soon as she arrived and after some greetings/handshakes/hugs with supporters within her reach, she joined her mom Susan Roces and the Llamanzares family, a prayer was said, and the national anthem was sung. For introduction, a short video was shown to refresh in the audience's mind of her beginning as a Poe, her return to native land as Filipino once again, and her stint as government servant from the MTRCB to the halls of the Senate.
She spelled out her platform in Filipino, a to-do list of 20 items.She hopes to attain these with "your help", she tells her countrymen listening to her live on radio and television. Before she did that, she recalled that her father FPJ declared his decision to seek the presidency in this same venue, and that she just want to continue what he started "
to help the poor, fight oppression,
and forge a prosperous and just society."
Her platform in English translation (from the Philippine Daily Inquirer):
"1. In education, we
must attend to the needs of our classrooms. We should maximize digital
technology for education, and eliminate backlogs. We shall strive to expand our
scholarship programs and strengthen the “Study now, pay later” program. We will
also help college students find internships and jobs to gain invaluable
experience even before they graduate.
"2. We shall work
for the flourishing of the agricultural sector. We will heed their longing for
land to till. Irrigation is still badly needed in half a million hectares of
land. We will push for mechanization. We need an effective program to make
fishing, farming and livestock propagation profitable for our farmers and the
youth.
"3. We will make
infrastructure development our priority, whether in terms of streets, trains,
airports, seaports or the internet. I will strive to increase the annual
infrastructure budget to 7% of the GDP. The government will support the private
sector in formulating an industrialization and IT plan. As more products “Made
in the Philippines” flourish, more jobs will be created. This should be done
while taking care of our environment.
"4. No one man or
group holds a monopoly on “Tuwid na Daan”. President Aquino has done much to
curb corruption and I am thankful that it has restored the people’s faith in an
honest leader.
"It is only right to
continue the fight against corruption. We will hold the corrupt accountable,
whether they be friend or foe. This should be the crusade of every Filipino,
not just one person or party.
"To strengthen
transparency in government, I will push for the passage of the Freedom of
Information bill at the soonest possible time.
"5. We have one of
the highest tax rates in the world. My aim is to lower these.
People know what
their needs are and they have a right to choose how to spend their hard-earned
money. But if government lowers taxes, we should reciprocate by paying the
right taxes. And this I guarantee: Every peso you pay will be returned to you
in fast and quality service.
"6. We need to
examine if we are giving our workers and government employees fair wages and
benefits. Their work and service will suffer while their own families starve.
Every worker needs a decent and legal source of income.
"7. A large
percentage of a family’s earnings goes to paying for electricity. We need to
find a way to lower power costs. In many parts of Mindanao, brownouts are a
frequent occurence. We will ensure sufficient power to fuel a growing economy,
especially in Mindanao. We shall see to the development of renewable energy.
"8. We will value
our OFWs and take care of them. We will provide them with proper legal support
overseas and reduce the fees and red tape that they currently put up with just
to have their papers processed.
"9. As a mother, I
am deeply troubled by the proliferation of crime and drugs. Like every parent,
I cannot rest easy until my children are home safe at night. For me, the
elimination of drugs and crime is not just a job. It is my personal crusade. I
will make sure the police have the required discipline and skills to
immediately deal with crime. Their job is not just to log crimes, but to catch
the criminals.
"10. We will pursue
peace with all groups. Filipinos should need no longer kill fellow Filipinos.
With peace, real progress can touch all corners of the country.
"To our Moro brothers,
your culture and heroism were the inspiration for many of my father’s films.
After a long and hard history, it is time that you are given equal
opportunities and genuine assistance.
"11. We should
respect human rights. We will not be blind to the conditions of our vulnerable
sectors, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, urban poor,
women, youth and children, the LGBT sector and senior citizens. To all senior
citizens, you will not be ignored. My own mother has asserted that the older
one gets, the more he/she should feel government’s care.
"12. Everyone’s
health is important. No family should be driven to bankruptcy by illness or be
made to choose between food or medicine for their sick loved ones. Our people
should be able to rely on expanded health benefits through Philhealth. I will
ensure that each community has a proper hospital, staffed with enough doctors,
nurses and midwives, and with all the necessary equipment, medicine and
supplies.
"13. The West
Philippine Sea is ours. We will protect our right through peaceful means, and
according to international law. We will beef up our Coast Guard and armed
forces so that we need not be intimidated by other countries.
"14. The traffic
situation takes away not just our precious time, it tests our patience. It eats
up valuable time that we would otherwise have spent at work or with our loved
ones.
"15. We should do
the following: We should build more roads and trains not only in Metro Manila
but all over the Philippines. We should ensure that our train project is
awarded to a contractor with strong capability and track record in long-term
maintenance. We should clean our drainage systems. We should provide coats and
boots for the people who manage our traffic. We should remove all colorum and
illegally parked vehicles. We should implement staggered office hours. No
roadwork should be left unfinished. We should immediately fire contractors who
don’t stick to the approved timetable.
"16. The internet is
just like a highway. It is a conduit for information. It should be fast. Many
jobs will become more productive with faster internet connection. Kids will
finish their homework faster and we can more easily talk to our loved ones
working overseas without any Skype delays. When it comes to the internet,
connecting should not take Forever.
"17. Arts, culture
and sports deserve the government’s attention. We are recognized
internationally as a creative race of visual artists, writers and performers,
but we do not value them ourselves. They bring us honor, so we should support
them. Our athletes too need our support. We should never give up on our dream
to win an Olympic gold medal.
"18. Let us not
forget the reality of climate change. This is not just a middle class issue;
the poor will be hardest hit by its effects. We should have a separate
Emergency Management Department that will focus on national preparedness,
climate change and geo-mapping.
"19. Tourism is
another sector that needs our attention. A vibrant tourism industry will create
new jobs for Filipinos, even those in far-flung areas. Our country is filled
with beautiful tourist destinations, but the industry will never fully succeed
if we don’t provide sufficient infrastructure and build more airports.
"20. Children are
the nation’s treasure. They are our present and future. And yet, they do not
stand a chance if they do not receive proper nutrition. Many children continue
to starve and waste away. It is time to create a Standard Lunch Program in all
public schools."
Who will be her running mate? The rumor mill points to Senator Chiz Escudero. Will he make a similar newsbreaking show pretty soon?
