POE NOT RELAXING DESPITE LEAD IN SURVEYS

CEBU--Despite her frontrunner status in pre-election surveys, Sen. Grace Poe refuses to rest on her laurels with only a month to go before Election Day.

The latest Bilang Pilipino-Social Weather Stations (SWS) mobile survey showed that Poe remains the most favored candidate with 34 percent of voters choosing her as president. The senator also kept the lead in the most recent survey of pollster Pulse Asia with 28 percent.

Poe said despite consistently leading the presidential race, she has no time to relax.

"Malakas din ang ating mga katunggali at nag-iiba-iba ang survey. Hindi ako magtataka kung bukas mas mataas sila. Kailangan pa talaga ng tiyaga," Poe said in a media interview in Cebu.

With still a month to go before the May 9 elections, Poe said anything could still happen.

"Nakita natin noong 2010, bigla na lang mayroong nakalusot na hindi binabantayan for the vice presidential race at umarangkada lang iyon two weeks before elections," she said.

"Kailangan kami talagang mag-ikot. May mga survey na mas mataas kami, survey na mas mababa pa, ito yata siguro ang race kung saan walang nagkakatugma-tugma talaga na numero. Hindi ba nakakalito?" Poe noted.

At this point in the campaign, Poe is confident that she can overcome anything. After winning the legal battle regarding her qualifications, she said critics have nothing more to hurl at her that could hurt her candidacy.

"Alam mo 'yun buhay ko, naging isang bukas na aklat na. Kung mayroon mang pasabog para sa akin, inimbento na nila yun. Ayan na naman, maghihirap ka na namang mag-eksplika, pero yun nga, ang pinakamadali sa akin ay makatulog sa gabi sapagkat wala naman akong kinikimkim kahit sama ng loob sa aking mga katunggali," Poe said.

Poe and her running mate Sen. Francis Escudero, along with senatorial bets under their Partido Galing at Puso, are scheduled to bring their campaign to Samar, Batangas and Sorsogon for the rest of the week.