(Photo courtesy of Sen. Poe’s official Facebook page)
LUCENA City—Independent presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said there should be no time for her to relax despite the favorable Supreme Court (SC) decision and the Pulse Asia survey where she is still leading other presidential candidates.
Accompanied by her running mate Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Poe and her senatorial candidates visited Lopez, Lucban, Tayabas, Candelaria and Lucena City to woo voters of the Quezon province which has 1.12 million registered voters.
In the latest Pulse Asia survey done on Feb. 16-27, Poe maintained her lead with 26 percent of voters choosing her as their president. With the favorable decision from the Supreme Court, Poe’s numbers are expected to go up.
“When it comes to the survey, it will depend on the message of one candidate and how the people would accept it. That’s why, we should not relax,” Poe said in a press conference here.
Quezon was Poe’s first provincial stop after the SC granted her petition to reverse the Commission on Elections ruling cancelling her certificate of candidacy for president in December.
The Court voted 9-6 in Poe’s favor, paving the way for Poe and all foundlings to seek the presidency.
However, her detractors declared they would seek a reconsideration of the Supreme Court ruling. Poe only shrugged off their dissent and said she respected their right to voice their opinions.
“All those legal ramblings and all of those legal questions, I believe, were already settled by the Supreme Court. It’s up to them if they don’t believe it. You know, in victory, there should be magnanimity,” the senator said.
Poe reiterated her promise to be a unifying president.
“Whoever behind this (disqualification case), will not take revenge against them. It would be better to continue what the good thing you can do for our country,” Poe said.
Poe confirmed reports that many candidates have signified their interest to join and support her candidacy after the SC ruling.
In the Pulse Asia survey, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay Sr. remained statistically tied in the top spot with 24 percent followed by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte (22 percent), and former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel “Mar” A. Roxas II (19 percent).
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago registered a voter preference of 3 percent.