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On Wed, Sep 16, at the Bahay ng Alumni inside the University of the Philippines-Diliman campus, Senator Grace Poe announced that she will be running for President in the 2016 elections.
At the end a speech outlining her plans for the country, Poe declared: “Ako po si Grace Poe. Pilipino, anak, asawa, at ina. Inaalay ko ang aking sarili sa mas mataas na paninilbihan bilang inyong Pangulo (I am Grace Poe. Filipino, a daughter, a wife, and mother. I offer myself to serve you as your President).”
READ: Grace Poe’s speech declaring her intention to run for Philippine President
Poe’s mother, actress Susan Roces, along with her husband, Neil Llamanzares and their children were in attendance.
Banking on her parents’ celebrity status, showbiz personalities like Rez Cortez, Zoren Legaspi, Carmina Villaroel, and Lorna Tolentino were also spotted among the crowd that gathered at the venue.
Poe, 46, is a relative political novice, having been a senator for just two years, and faces legal challenges over her citizenship that could rule her out of the election next May.
But the independent politician is already the favourite, capitalising on a starstruck electorate with a colourful history of electing celebrities to all manner of political positions — from village level to the presidency.
Thousands of supporters clad in white cheered and blue confetti rained down as Poe announced a long list of campaign promises including fighting poverty, untangling chronic traffic jams and defending the country’s interests in the disputed South China Sea.
“Join me in building a new dawn, a better tomorrow for our motherland, the Philippines,” she said
The senator has in public appearances adopted the blue-collar style that nearly got her father elected president in 2004, wearing a crisp white shirt over jeans as she toured the country pressing the flesh before Wednesday’s announcement.
Her movie star father Fernando Poe, who himself had no political experience, narrowly lost to Gloria Arroyo in 2004 amid allegations he was cheated of victory. He died of a stroke seven months later.
“Her father is an action man who defended the poor. I believe the daughter will be the same,” 69-year-old housewife Remedios Gamboa told AFP, referring to his film roles, as she waited with many other long-time fans of Poe senior at the university on Wednesday.
Poe’s declaration will set the stage for a three-way race against Vice President Jejomar Binay and Interior Minister Mar Roxas, who is President Benigno Aquino’s anointed successor.
A recent respected public opinion survey had Poe leading her two rivals, with 30 percent saying they would vote for her. Binay, whose early lead was eroded amid corruption allegations, got 22 percent while Roxas had just 10 percent.
Aquino, who had publicly courted Poe to run as Roxas’ vice president, this week sought to play down her chances next year, saying voters were becoming more politically mature.
“We are moving away from personality-based politics,” he said Monday.
Poe’s rise to frontrunner in the race to lead 100 million people is as dramatic as her parents’ biggest hits.
When she was just days old she was left in a church in the central Philippines where she was found by a movie fan, according to her official narrative.
READ: Grace Poe gets new clues about her alleged biological father
The fan gave her to Poe and his actress-wife Susan Roces, who adopted her.
Poe’s opponents have filed legal challenges against her ahead of her planned presidential run, because she has no original birth certificate to prove she was born to Filipino parents.
She also spent time in the US and became a naturalised citizen there, though she has since renounced this. With an AFP report.
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