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In the homestretch to the May 9 presidential election, Rappler #PHvote runs a daily blog by multimedia reporter Camille Elemia, who has been following Grace Poe. Get insights into the candidate’s character, trusted people, and campaign decisions.
I was adjusting to my new beat, Malacañang, when the Desk told me of my new task to follow Senator Grace Poe. The moment I found out I would be covering her starting in July 2015, I knew I would have a tough and crazy year ahead. How could I not think that way when allegations were being heaped on her at a time when she had not signified her political plans yet?
Rappler reporters are not just assigned to cover the usual beats or agencies; we cover issues and sectors. So when my editors said that I would cover Poe, it meant I would be assigned to do stories outside of the person. It meant I would cover the petitioners against her candidacy, the Senate Electoral Tribunal, the series of oral arguments at the Supreme Court, the Commission on Elections. In short, anything and everything Poe.
From her meetings with President Benigno Aquino III, to the disqualification cases against her, to her pre-campaign sorties where she acted as a candidate without the declaration, to the homestretch of the campaign – indeed it has been 10 months of a whirlwind coverage.
I shared the uncertainty with her at the height of the disqualification issues, only because, like other reporters, I had to understand, analyze, and report all issues involving her. At the time she was the hottest subject of controversy over her citizenship and residency. Would the SC side with her? Would she get disqualified? Should we prepare for the campaign trail or should we wait? (READ: TIMELINE: Grace Poe’s citizenship, residency)
In following her, I got to see how she is behind the cameras and during stressful times. Here are 10 things I learned about Grace Poe that rarely made it to the news.
1. Grace Poe is a very private person despite being a public figure.
Her family is low-profile even if they are relatives of showbiz royalties. During her government stint, her husband and children mostly kept to themselves. During the campaign, members of her family – except for oldest son Brian – were out of the public’s eye, especially since they had also been dragged into the citizenship issues of the senator. (READ: Grace Poe: This is how a mother campaigns for president)
Her parents-in-law, Teddy and Carol Llamanzares, are soft spoken and unassuming individuals. I remember a noontime sortie in Lumban, Laguna, the Llamanzareses’ hometown. Poe was speaking on a makeshift stage while her aging mother-in-law was just quietly watching from the sidelines under the heat of the sun. Prior to that, some of Poe’s staff asked the elderly couple to ride the van to get to the nearby venue. The couple insisted that they would just walk.
You would rarely get to see Poe eat on the campaign trail or freshen up in public. There were many times when, in restaurants or press conferences, she would eat at a separate room away from the media or supporters. When there was no available room, like in a sortie in Quezon, they used a curtain to separate her from public view.
Poe also has never had talks with reporters over dinner or coffee, unlike her rivals.
2. She laughs at herself, too.
Despite her “serious” façade, Poe knows how to have fun on the campaign trail. She sometimes forgets the greetings in the dialect of where she is campaigning. She would pause and try to hold her laughter because of her mistake. Her supporters were forgiving and would even help her finish it.
Same thing happened in a sortie in Laguna: she almost said Egay Erice, her harshest critic from the Liberal Party, when she really meant Egay San Luis.
In one interview in Pampanga, Poe mentioned “wrecking ball” in explaining her point. She gave a restrained laugh at it, too.
3. For the long hours she spends under the sun, Poe does not use enough sunblock.
Poe herself admitted she likes to get a bit darker because she considers herself pale. There was a time, during a sortie in Clark, Pampanga, when I had to remind her of the importance of sunscreen to prevent cancer and premature aging. In response, she said in jest: “Is that your secret?”
4. She does not hesitate to ask or tease you about your personal life – yes, love life included.
In one gathering, she randomly asked me about it. She also teases other embedded reporters about the same topic. Just recently, Poe had an interview with Papa Jack, the popular love adviser on radio. The senator gave pieces of love advice to listeners.
“Sa aking mga kababayan na may problema sa pag-ibig, nais kong sabihin sa inyo na makakatagpo rin kayo ng mamahalin kayo. Huwag kayong susuko,” she said.
5. She can be mataray at times.
This is one of the revelations for me during the campaign. I guess the pressures of a tight presidential race would really push a person to his or her limits. Poe would show this side of her when she does not like the questions you ask or the stories you write about her.
6. During sorties, she still takes the time to relish the beauty of nature.
What better way to capture nature than through her iPhone!
7. Amid all attacks against her and her family, Poe has not subscribed to negative campaigning.
Poe has said she does not want to lose herself just because of the presidential race. This extends to her supporters online and offline. While some other bets’ supporters would attack rivals and critics, Poe’s campaign team and supporters rarely do the same.
8. Poe is a fast runner that her security sometimes gets left behind.
I remember an instance where Poe was running across a field with cameramen trailing her. This is no surprise, as Poe is sporty. She was a black belter in taekwondo when she was young. (READ: 15 things you did not know about Grace Poe)
9. She prefers to carry her bag on her own, except during rallies.
Even if she has an assistant with her, she carries her own bag.
Once in the Durano house in Cebu, we had to tell Poe, who was then walking and talking to local politicians, to put it down or just give it to her staff member. She just told us it’s easier to carry it herself so when she needs to get something, it’s within reach.
10. Poe, standing 5 feet, is proud of her short height.
It’s usual for me to hear comments such as, “Ang liit pala ni Grace Poe (I did not know Grace Poe is small)” from the crowd when they see her for the first time. (READ: The 10 staple lines in Grace Poe’s speeches)
In another sortie in Tarlac City on Monday, May 2, two old women beside me were asking a friend where Poe was or if she had arrived. The friend replied: “Nandyan na. Pumatong kayo sa upuan para makita nyo sya kasi maliit.” (She’s already there. Step on the chairs so you could see her because she is small.) Heeding the advice of their friend, the two women stood on top of monobloc chairs.
I guess the senator does not take offense in this, as she herself jokes about it. In fact, this is the very thing she uses in her campaign speeches to “prove” that she is a natural-born Filipino. – Rappler.com
Read the other pieces in this series:
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