‘Grace an ally who is free to criticize me’

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday thanked Sen. Grace Poe, who will run for the presidency in May 2016, for acknowledging the reforms he initiated in the bureaucracy as he gave her the go-signal for any constructive criticism.

“If I need to be criticized, why not? Just put it in the right place and context and base it on truth,” the President said in an interview after his televised address on the Mamasapano controversy.

Aquino, nine months away from his last day in office in June next year, categorically stated that just like his anointed one – former interior secretary Mar Roxas – Poe is also treading the straight path that his government has been espousing.

Given the reality of politics in the country, he said it would not be farfetched that Poe will also question some of his policies to convince voters that she can do a better job than him. 

“Let’s be practical. When it comes to elections, marketing has what it calls brand differentiation. How could you say ‘we are better’ if you will not say this administration lacks this, that and there?” the former three-term Tarlac congressman and senator said.

Aquino added, apparently in reference to United Nationalist Alliance bet Jejomar Binay, that political criticism and promises should be based on truth.

He thanked Poe for sending him a “heart-warming text message” late Tuesday, the night before she declared her candidacy at the Bahay ng Alumni at UP Diliman Wednesday.

The message, he added, “in a sense, advised me of her decision and explained her intentions.” 

Nevertheless, Aquino said the 2016 polls would definitely be a referendum on his good governance policy, where Filipino voters can choose the straight path of either Roxas or Poe, or return to the old ways of doing things.

“What is more important is we do not slide back to where we started. Let us not make my five years (as president) as a mere intermission then go back to the ugly truth. If they (Poe and Escudero) can make better of what we did, why should we be mad? Maybe the next question is: What are the things you will do to outdo what we are doing?” he said.

Meanwhile, Lito David, who lost in two previous senatorial bids, criticized Poe for allegedly disrespecting the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), which is hearing the disqualification case he filed against the senator.

He said Poe’s announcement of her intention to seek the presidency shows that “she is not a great leader,” arguing that leaders are also good followers of the law.

He added that Poe was not only an opportunist, but also lacks the decency and ethics to wait for the SET to issue a resolution.

“She lacks respect for the process as defined by law and disrespects her own peers in the Senate that compose a majority of the SET by pre-empting whatever decision they would make on her case,” David said.

Classrooms

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo described Poe’s speech to launch her bid for the presidency as “aspirational.”

Romulo belongs to the ruling Liberal Party, which has Roxas as standard-bearer. He attended Poe’s declaration because “we have been friends since high school days.” With Jess Diaz, Robertzon Ramirez