Poe on ‘OJT’: Filipinos chose Aquino over ‘experienced’ Roxas in 2010

MANILA, Philippines – When Manuel Roxas II told candidate Grace Poe on Sunday, February 21, that the presidency is not an on-the-job training, the political neophyte pointed out that her rival had shortcomings in his Cabinet stints anyway.

The lady senator actually had a more scathing remark offstage after the first presidential debate in Cagayan de Oro City: even in 2009, Roxas might have been more experienced but voters clamored for the first-term Senator Benigno Aquino III over him to be the Liberal Party’s standard-bearer.

“At siguro ipagpaumanhin ng aking kaibigan na si Senadora Grace Poe na ang pagiging pangulo ay hindi OJT. Kinabukasan, buhay, kaunlaran ng isandaang milyong Pilipino ang nakasalalay dito kaya may tamang panahon para sa lahat. At para sa akin, ‘yung karanasan ay isa sa pinakamahalagang katangian para sa pagiging pangulo,” Roxas said during the debate.

(With all due respect to our friend Senator Grace Poe, the presidency is not an OJT. The lives of 100 million Filipinos are at stake, that’s why there’s a time for everything. For me, experience is one of the most important things needed to be president.)

To that, Poe retorted, referring to the Cabinet posts that Roxas held: “Pasensiya na rin po, pero marami rin akong inimbestigahan, katulad ng DILG at doon sa DOTC sa MRT, at sa tingin ko naman hindi mo kailangan ng napakahabang karanasan para malaman na kulang ang tulong ng gobyerno.” 

(Apologies too, but how come I have investigated issues in connection with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Metro Rail Transit? In my view, you don’t need a long experience to know that government help has been lacking.)

After the debate, Poe said in a chance interiew: “Ako ba ang sinasabihan n’ya? Anyway, para sa kanya, alam mo noong tumakbo s’ya noon, di hamak na may mas experience s’ya kaysa kay President Noynoy [Aquino] pero nakita naman natin na ang hiniling ng tao noon ay si President Noynoy.” 

(Is [Roxas] referring to me? Anyway, for him, you know, when he ran in 2010, he clearly had more experience than President Noynoy Aquino, but we saw that the people clamored for President Noynoy.)

Aquino, a former Tarlac 2nd district representative, was on his first term as a senator when he ran for president. Roxas, on the other hand, had served as Capiz representative, Cabinet secretary for two administrations, and as senator.

In 2009, Roxas was the declared standard-bearer of his party for the 2010 presidential polls. He slid down at the last minute for Aquino, whose popularity surged after the death of his mother, democracy icon and former president Cory Aquino. 

Roxas lost in the vice presidential race to then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. His electoral protest was never resolved by the Supreme Court.

President Aquino tried to get Poe as Roxas’ running mate for 2016, but they failed to reach an agreement. The original vision of the LP was to train Poe for 6 years as vice president because they think she will be only ready to become president in 2022. 

Poe, then a consistent front runner in presidential polls, declined the LP’s offer and decided to run for president as an independent, with her friend Senator Francis Escudero as running mate. – Rappler.com