MANILA, Philippines – Amid the string of disqualification cases against her, presidential bet Senator Grace Poe said she has no regrets in her decision not to run as the running mate of administration standard-bearer Mar Roxas.

Poe  made the statement in a press conference in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Wednesday, January 20, a day after the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on her cases. (READ: Supreme Court justices raise doubts on Poe residency)

The senator met with no less than President Benigno Aquino III several times but failed to reach an agreement. While Aquino did not explicitly ask Poe to run as vice president, Poe said she felt Aquino wanted her to slide down in favor of Roxas. 

Asked if she has any regrets with her decision in the face of possible disqualification, Poe said: “Noong kami’y nag-usap ng ating Pangulo, malinaw naman sa aming pag-uusap na ang aming sinisikap ay gawin kung ano sa aming pananaw ang magagawa naming kabutihan sa bayan, yun talaga yun. Kaya hindi ako nagsisisi at kung mayroon man akong ikinalulungkot ay syempre dahil ako naman po ay naging kasama rin ng ating Pangulo, yun lang.”

(When the President and I talked, it was clear to us that what we were trying to do is for the greater good of the country; that’s it. That’s why I have no regrets. If there’s anything I am sad about, it’s that I had been with the President, that’s just it.)

Even before rejecting the Liberal Party’s offer, Poe said she had already thought of the possible negative backlash of her decision. But even then, she admitted she only felt the full impact when it happened.  

“Lahat ‘yan bago po pagdesisyunan ay medyo naisip ko nang mangyayari e. Pero syempre hangga’t hindi nangyayari, hindi mo naman talaga mararamdaman yung buong hagupit nito, pero hindi ako nagsisisi,” she said.

( I already thought that those things would happen before making a decision. But of course, until it hasn’t happened, you really won’t feel its full impact. But I have no regrets.)

Despite the incessant attacks on her, Poe maintained she did the right thing. Poe earlier linked the disqualification cases against her to the camps of Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay.

In past interviews, Poe hinted that Roxas has connections to big law firms and high government officials. Her camp also questioned the loyalty of some Commission on Elections commissioners, after the poll body’s two divisions and the Comelec en banc voted to cancel her Certificate of Candidacy.

Poe had also hit Roxas for now taking issue with her citizenship and residency, when he supposedly knew about them when LP was wooing her to be its vice presidential candidate.

“Pero hindi ako nagbabago ng isip o nag-iisip na dapat hindi ko ginawa ‘yon. Yun lang ang alam kong sigurong hindi nangyari kung ako’y sumama sa kanila. Siguro hindi magiging ganito kabigat lahat ng mga kaso laban sa akin. Pero hindi naman natin malalaman dahil tapos na ‘yun e, iba yung sitwasyon ngayon,” Poe said.

(But I am not changing my mind nor I am thinking that I shouldn’t have done that. It’s just that, I know that maybe if I joined them, the fights I am facing now would not be this heavy. But we wouldn’t know it then because it’s already done. The situation now is different.) – Rappler.com