It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.
The day before Senator Grace Poe appeared on the third leg of the GO NEGOSYO Meet the Presidentiables Series held last December 2 at the Grand Ballroom of the Solaire Hotel, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Second Division handed down its decision disqualifying her as a presidential candidate for not meeting residency requirements. This development was foremost on everybody’s mind, and everyone, whether friend or foe, wanted to know how the Good Senator felt and what her next course of action would be.
Go Negosyo trustee and founder of Marine Resources Development Corporation and the W Group of Companies; Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion; TV5 News and Current Affairs head Luchi Cruz-Valdes; Senator Grace Poe; Go Negosyo executive director Mon Lopez; Manila Overseas Press Club president Babe Romualdez; and Myrna Yao, president and CEO of RichPrime Global Inc.
I had the honor once again to be a panelist in this leg of the series, which is co-produced together with PLDT-SMART SME Nation, TV5, and Bilang Pilipino 2016. And suffice it to say, (pardon the pun) the Senator showed enough grace under pressure to take on the forum and the no-holds-barred questions that followed her keynote speech.
She was very composed and dignified in answering even the most difficult questions from the panelists and from the audience, and what struck me most about her was her self-deprecating humor that seemingly disarmed and charmed everyone. She had this ability to connect with her audience, composed mainly of entrepreneurs and students, and had the clear vision and grasp of governance that showed she knew what she was going to do if elected to the highest office in the land.