Press Release
March 9, 2016

POE RALLIES SUPPORTERS IN QUEZON, VOWS TO FULFILL FPJ'S DREAM OF HELPING POOR

QUEZON--Less than 24 hours after securing the legal mandate to run, leading presidential contender Sen. Grace Poe is back on the campaign trail, presenting the platforms of her "Gobyernong may Puso" to farmers and students in Quezon province.

Speaking to supporters in Lopez, Poe said the Supreme Court's landmark decision allowing her, a foundling, to run for the highest post of the land gives her the chance to prove that she can serve Filipinos even if she lacks the political machinery of her opponents.

"Kahapon narinig ninyo 'yung desisyon ng Korte Suprema. Naging madamdamin sa akin 'yon, hindi dahil gusto kong magkaroon ng kapangyarihan o pwesto bilang pangulo, kung hindi dahil nais kong ipagpatuloy ang mga programa para sa ating mga kababayan na talagang makakatulong lalo na sa mahihirap at mga naaapi," Poe said, drawing applause from the crowd.

Poe recalled how some people criticized her when she ran for senator in 2013 with no government experience outside her stint as chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). She not only won but made history for garnering over 20 million votes, the highest cast for any national candidate.

"Noong ako'y unang tumakbo sa Senado, sabi nila ano bang alam niyan e MTRCB ang una lang niyang pinaglingkuran. Pero ako ang nag-imbestiga sa isa sa pinakamahirap na imbestigasyon sa Senado: ang Mamasapano," she said.

"Sa amin ring panunungkulan maraming mga bata ang nagkaroon ng libreng pananghalian sa mga public schools. At marami pa tayong gagawin," she said.

Under her "Gobyernong may Puso," Poe said farmers would receive greater assistance and poor students will get college scholarships, whether they want to study in state universities or in private schools.

"Marami tayong mga plano. Noong umpisa sabi nila wala raw akong pag-asa dahil unang-una, hindi natin kakampi ang administrasyon," Poe said. "Ang ibang mga kandidato siguro napakadali para sa kanila; may pera sila, may makinarya sila. Kami naman simple lamang."

Poe is running as an independent although she and her running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero, have been endorsed by the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), the second biggest political party in the country.

NPC spokesman Mark Enverga is the first district representative of Quezon, which has 1.1 million registered voters. He will accompany Poe and her Partido Galing at Puso as they visit Lopez, Lucban, Tayabas, Candelaria and Lucena today.

Poe said Quezon had a special place in the heart of her late father, movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. who ran for president in 2004 but lost due to alleged massive electoral fraud. She recalled how FPJ himself packed relief goods to distribute to Quezon after disaster hit the province.

"Minahal ni FPJ ang Quezon. Bago siya namayapa, 'nung nagkaroon ng matinding bagyo dito at landslide, ang kanyang inatupag ay ang pag-pack ng mga relief goods na walang nakalagay 'From FPJ' na ipinadala dito," said Poe, who was adopted by FPJ and Susan Roces when she was a child.

She vowed to fulfill her father's dream to lift Filipino families out of poverty, if she makes it to Malacañang.

"Sa ating mga kababayan, ang aking laban ay laban niyo rin. Ang inyong pinagdaanan, ang inyong pinaghuhugutan ay akin rin pinaghuhugutan," Poe said.

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