LUCENA City, Quezon: Senator Grace Poe’s determination to win the presidential race remains strong despite the huge lead of Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte in a recent pre-election survey.
“Hindi ako sumusuko sa gitna ng lahat ng mga pagsubok, at higit sa lahat, hindi ko kinakalimutan bakit ako tumatakbo. Kailangan natin ng makataong pagbabago [I’m not giving up amid the challenges but most of all I will not forget the reason why I am running. We need a civilized change],” Poe said.
She reiterated that she respects the surveys because it gives her the energy and resolve to work harder and match the machinery of her rivals.
What is important, the senator said, is that she is running her campaign without defaming or discrediting the other presidential aspirants.
“I have never been involved in black propaganda against my opponents and just focused my energy in reaching out to the people,” she added.
Po, however, said surveys do not necessarily reflect results of elections.
She cited the 2004 balloting wherein exit polls conducted on the day of the elections showed that her father, Fernando Poe Jr., lost in the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) but after the votes were counted, it turned out that he won by a huge margin against his opponent, then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In the 2010 national elections, the senator noted that then-Makati City (Metro Manila) Mayor Jejomar Binay was 10 points behind then-Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd in the vice presidential survey several days before the polls but, in the end, Roxas was defeated by Binay.
“This only shows that we can’t say who will win until the day of the elections,” Poe said.
The senator admitted that she has been receiving information about the efforts of one of her opponents to manipulate the surveys to condition the minds of voters and make it appear that he has a big chance of winning.
She said the candidate even commissioned a survey showing that he is leading.