MANILA — Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said that while she was grateful for the remark of President Rodrigo Duterte saying he would like her to be the next president someday, she said that the president should focus on finishing his term.
“Malaking bagay iyan, personally at politically, at salamat sa pagpapahalaga sa mga foundlings, pero ang ating Pangulo ang pinili ng ating mga kababayan at dapat tapusin niya ang kanyang termino (It means a lot to me, personally and politically, and thank you for giving importance to foundlings, but our President was chosen by our people and he should finish his term),” Poe said in an interview.
Poe made this statement after Duterte said that he would like her to be president someday on the condition that the 1987 Constitution would be amended to allow foundlings to seek high offices.
Duterte has repeatedly mentioned in his speeches that he was willing to step down any time as long as new and “inclusive” Constitution will be crafted.
It may be recalled that in November 2015, Duterte, then Davao City Mayor, announced his decision to run for president because he disagreed with the decision of the Supreme Court that allowed Poe to run for president in the May 2016 elections.
She said that the Supreme Court ruling that states she is a natural-born Filipino and eligible to run for President in the May 2016 elections spoke for itself.
“Sa tingin ko naman na malinaw na ang naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema at ako ay nagpapasalamat dito; na mismo na rin ang ating Pangulo ay iginagalang ito (I think the decision of the Supreme Court is clear and I am thankful for it, that even the President respects this),” Poe said.
“Hindi naman ito nangangahulugan na dahil lamang sa sitwasyon ko o sa sitwasyon ng iilan ay mapalitan ang buong konstitusyon (This does not mean that because of my situation, or the situation of a few, the entire Constitution needs amending),” she added.
The senator, a member of the Senate majority bloc, said that she continued to support the programs of the Duterte administration that would help improve the lives of Filipinos.
Poe, meanwhile, clarified that urging Duterte to finish his term did not necessarily mean that charter change should not be prioritized.
She merely cautioned that charter change should not be rushed.
“Kung kailangan talaga nating magkaroon ng charter change, sabi ko nga hindi padalos-dalos, at siguro pagkatapos na ng kanyang termino (If we really need to have charter change, I say we shouldn’t make hasty decisions, and maybe it’s best done after his term),” Poe said.
The senator said that if there was anything about the 1987 Constitution that needed amending, it should be the economic provisions to create more jobs. (PNA)
