GRACE POE
Date of Birth: September 3, 1968
Husband: Teodoro Misael Vera Llamanzares
Father: Ronald Allan Kelley Poe aka Fernando Poe, Jr.
Mother: Jesusa Sonora Poe aka Susan Roces
Children: Brian, 23 | Hanna, 16 | Nikka, 11
Grace Poe is driven by a desire to serve. Her effectiveness is at least in part due to a trait that is rarely found in politicians: strong empathy. She believes that it is from learning from the people themselves about their concerns, and lending her voice to a collective vision for the nation, that she can help find solutions that will really be felt by the majority.
A brief background on the senator:
Left on the doorstep of the Jaro Cathedral in Iloilo as a baby, she was eventually adopted by the King and Queen of Philippine movies, Fernando Poe, Jr. and Susan Roces.
Senator Grace excelled in sports and became a champion debater at Assumption High School. She attended the University of the Philippines, Manila from 1986 to 1988 under the BA Development Studies program. She was chairman of the College Freshman Assembly in SY1986-1987, and Sophomore Batch Representative to the Student Council in SY1987-1988. Poe was a College Scholar in 1987.
She finished her tertiary education at Boston College with a degree in political science. She moved to the U.S. to join her husband in 1991. There, she taught geography and math to preschool children, then worked in the scientific technologies field until 2004.
Senator Grace returned to the Philippines when her father ran for president in 2004. Her life was completely changed after that. She learned firsthand how the voice of the people can be cast aside for the political interests of those in power. With the values of fairness, integrity, and courage deeply ingrained in her by her parents, Senator Grace became a Convenor of Kontra Daya, a coalition for the reform of the Philippine electoral system to eradicate election fraud.
In 2010, she was appointed chairperson of the MTRCB, where she reformed the ratings system towards “intelligent media viewing” instead of “censorship”. During her term, the MTRCB revised its classification system for TV and movies to take into account the different levels of maturity of young audiences.
Senator Grace also organized the first-ever “Child and Family Summit” and initiated inter-agency cooperation between MTRCB and DOLE, DepED, DSWD, Council on the Welfare of Children and NCCA to protect child actors and young viewers. In partnership with the LTFRB, she launched a campaign to crack down on buses and other PUVs that show age-inappropriate movies. Poe also entered into a MOA with KBP to strengthen self-regulation mechanisms within the ranks of media.
Although the MTRCB suffered from budget cuts during her incumbency, this did not prevent Poe from pursuing various reform initiatives and programs including fiscal responsibility. Under her hands-on leadership, the agency consistently surpassed its revenue collection targets and even encourages the creation of new cinematic output through the reduction of its review fees.
Early on, Poe saw the promise of “indie films” and worked towards providing independent cinema with the necessary institutional support for its continued advancement and viability. The agency granted 70% discounts on its review fees and provided a “preferential review schedule” to qualified “indie” film projects. MTRCB likewise extended financial assistance and help generate media exposure for selected independent films.
She ran for a seat in the Senate in 2013, garnering the highest number of votes (20,337,327 votes) in Philippine election history. She became the first female Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs. She also chairs the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media and the Sub-Committee on Public Services (on Transport Issues). Senator Poe is also the Vice-Chair of the Committees on Agriculture and Food and Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation.
Senator Grace Poe has filed 198 pieces of legislation (68 bills and 130 resolutions) covering issues like social justice, child nutrition, industrial competitiveness, ecological protection, government modernization and professionalization, and graft and corruption. Two of her legislative initiatives are now part of the country’s statute books:
• RA 10649, an amendatory law of the Dangerous Drugs Act, enable the government to go after big-time drug pushers;
• RA 10639 which mandates telecommunication companies to send free disaster and calamity alerts to citizens and subscribers to promote disaster preparedness and reduce risks during calamities.
In her first year as a Senator of the Republic, Senator Grace shepherded the approval of the Peoples’ Freedom of Information Act in the Upper Chamber. She also made her mark during the plenary debates and committee investigations on the Napoles PDAF Scam and PNP-Werfast Deal. Her privilege speeches on child malnutrition and the “Hello Garci” scandal served as a clarion call for government to step-up efforts against hunger and election fraud. Her expert handling and unbiased report on the Mamasapano hearings earned her accolades for her and independence and incisiveness.