Grace Poe Dreamt Of Being A Movie Star But Realized Early On That Her Parents Are Tough Acts To Follow

EX-MTRCB Chair Grace Poe confesses that as a child, she also dreamt of being a movie star. “I forced my dad to include me in his films and I was cast in bit roles, like anak ni late Paquito Diaz or Max Alvarado,” she says. “But when I grew up, I realized both my parents (FPJ and Susan Roces) are tough acts to follow, so huwag na lang.”

What are her advocacies if she elected as senator? “First would be the welfare of women and children, especially working women for whom I’d like to have more day care centers where they can leave their kids. I also have a soft spot for the adopted. I was in grade 2 in Assumption when a classmate told me, ampon ka lang. When I asked my mom, she told me it’s God who gave me to them and they love me very much. Pero bakit kailangang magkaroon ng stigma ang pagiging ampon?”

Did she ever try looking for her biological parents?

“No more. My mom told me they tried to locate them to formalize the adoption but di na nila nakita. Isa pa, busog na ako sa pagmamahal ng mom and dad ko.”

Grace turned 44 on Sept. 3. After finishing grade and high school at Assumption, she took up development studies at UP Manila and political science at Boston College in the U.S. She’s married to Teodoro Llamanzares and they have 3 kids: Brian, 20; Hanna, 14, and Nikka, 8. They stayed in the U.S. for 12 years and came home when FPJ passed. She achieved a lot in her two years at the MTRCB, including having new classifications and the way she handled the controversy of a little boy dancing like a macho dancer in a variety show. Does she think FPJ would approve of her running as senator?

“I think so. Kasi my foremost advocacy is his quest for poverty alleviation. Concerned talaga siya sa sobrang dami ng naghihirap and I also want to focus on that. I also want to focus on electoral reforms to make sure we avoid yung mga pandaraya sa halalan.”

Up to now, she feels sad FPJ was not given the chance to serve even if he were the real winner as president. “He’s a very intelligent man. Kahit hindi siya college graduate, his company, FPJ Productions, prospered with him running it, helping so many people in and out of the industry. He even had the foresight to preserve all his films.”

She was surprised when her sister Lovi Poe volunteered to help her campaign. “We didn’t grow up together but I’m really touched when she said tutulungan niya ko. I’m really proud of her achievements as an actress. Sa provinces nga, when people hear nandiyan anak ni FPJ, they’ll say ‘Si Lovi, Si Lovi’. I tell them naman, hindi ho ako yun, mas sexy yun. Si Grace po ako.”