Poe defends Nancy Binay

MANILA, Philippines - Team PNoy senatorial candidate Grace Poe yesterday defended United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) bet Nancy Binay from accusations that her only qualification is her having served as personal assistant to her father and mother.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a personal assistant as long as you are very efficient and very effective,” Poe told ABS-CBN News Channel’s Karen Davila in reference to the accusations against Binay.

Asked if experience as a personal assistant would be enough qualification to be elected to the Senate, Poe answered: “For me, the only ones who can decide are the voters.”

Binay was her mother’s personal assistant-secretary when the latter was the mayor of Makati City. She did the same job for her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, until she decided to seek a senatorial seat under her father’s political coalition UNA.

Both Poe and Binay are making a good showing in surveys of senatorial preferences largely because of their surnames. Poe is the daughter of actress Susan Roces and the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.        

Poe is also facing a similar accusation, but Poe said at least in her case, she was head of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board and worked for several big private companies.