BEHIND every successful woman are more women who support her dreams and aspirations. These are women who don’t compete but rather put their God-given talents to help each other.
Grace Poe (GP) has many such women around her—longtime family friends, and friends she gained when she decided to return home from the United States.
Through phone and e-mail interviews, they spoke about how they met Grace and why they believe she would make a good president.
Decisive
“I met Grace just before she got married to my cousin Neil. I had to interview her for a surprise video that Neil’s mom, my Aunt Carol, was putting together for Neil. Grace was charming and friendly.
“I now manage Grace’s policy office. With the help of people from the academe, the private sector, people’s organizations, and even some who work in government, we are putting together her platform.
“A lot of the items in the program are things she has believed in ever since she got into public service.
“Grace is decisive, yet humble enough to consult others. She has shown compassion and strength in tough situations… Most important, in her heart of hearts, she will always have a bias for the poor.” Camille Llamanzares Sevilla
Focused
“I had worked with Fernando Poe Jr. and had always been a Susan Roces fan, so I knew about Grace.
“In 2010, when Grace was appointed head of the Movie And Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), I was requested to give her a background on the agency, given that I was my mother-in-law Armida Siguion-Reyna’s personal assistant when she was MTRCB chair. The first thing Grace wanted to find out was how else to improve it, to carry out its mandate without restricting filmmakers’ freedom of self-expression.
“The story about her being regularly absent from the MTRCB because of recurring hangovers is a big, fat lie concocted with malice.
“Grace is focused and determined. She studies. She’s caring. She’s hands-on. She’s Grace.” Bibeth Orteza
Intelligent
“Grace and I met at Assumption College in San Lorenzo as high school classmates. Our sections never changed so the whole class became quite close. We are each other’s loyal friends and support group.
“Grace is very level-headed and intelligent. She does her homework. She has a thirst for learning that makes her open-minded and humble.
“She doesn’t put down others to bring herself up. Watch her actions and her words and you will see the real Grace.” Joanna Ongpin Duarte
Sincere
“Grace and I moved in the same circle because her high school classmates became my good friends in college at the Ateneo. In 2010, I became part of Grace’s board at the MTRCB.
“Grace is a natural and effective leader who can unite people and rally them toward a common cause. She does her homework, works hard and knows to tap the right people. She will listen but at the end of the day, the decision is still hers. Her leadership style is results-oriented, performance-based but with a sincerity to always make things better.” Manet Dayrit
Conscientious, disciplined
“Grace has the most compelling back story among the presidential candidates.
Left in a cathedral as an infant, she found herself in the loving care of Philippine show biz’s royal couple. She found compassion when she needed it most. In her declaration speech, she vowed to build a “gobyernong may puso,” a compassionate government.
I have known Grace as a child and I know her heart—as a public servant and as a leader—is in the right place. It did not surprise me one bit that she promises to lead with compassion.
At the first presidential debate, most people predicted Grace to falter from pressure. She is, after all, the least experienced. Instead, she stood out—laying down facts and statistics instead of motherhood and apple pie statements. We witnessed a conscientious, disciplined leader who studies the pertinent issues and problems of our nation,” Baby K. Jimenez
E-mail the columnist: storiesbykate@gmail.com