Poe wants Malacañang reg’l office in FPJ’s home province

SAN NICOLAS, Pangasinan — Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said she will push for the construction of a regional office of Malacañang in her father’s home province should she become the next president.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 5,000 here, Poe said the president’s official residence should also be found in other regions so the government could become more accessible to the public.

“‘Pag ako ay naging pinuno ninyo, hindi ako magbibingibingihan o magbubulagbulagan sa kailangan ninyo. Ang Malacañang ay hindi dapat sa Maynila lamang. Sa bawat rehiyon magkakaroon ako ng opisina para mas madali ninyo akong mapuntahan. At, siyempre, ang isa sa unang opisina ay dito sa Pangasinan,” she said.

In her speech, the senator acknowledged the overwhelming support that residents gave the late action star Fernando Poe Jr., better known by his initials FPJ, during his 2004 presidential campaign, and the backing she received when she ran for senator in 2013.

“Noong tumakbo si FPJ ‘nung 2004, ang Pangasinan ang kauna-unahang nagdeklara na siya ay Pilipino, na siya ay isang mabuting tao, na siya ay isang taga-Pangasinan. At ‘nung ako naman ay tumakbo ‘nung 2013, bagama’t isang ampon, itong Pangasinan ang unang umako sa akin at nagsabing ‘anak ng Pangasinan’ kaya number one din ako dito noong 2013,” she said.

Poe said she always "comes home" whenever she visits Pangasinan.

"Ako po ay hindi bumibisita dito sa San Nicolas o sa Pangasinan, ako po ay umuuwi sa Pangasinan. Abut-abot ang aming taos-pusong pasasalamat sa inyo, ang aming pamilya, sapagkat noon pa man ay hindi ninyo kami pinabayaan at patuloy ninyo kaming sinuportahan at minahal," she told the crowd.

It was Poe's second visit in the province since the campaign period for national candidates started last February 9. Pangasinan is one of the vote-rich provinces in the country, with over 1.7 million registered voters.

Poe, her running mate Senator Francis Escudero, and some senatorial candidates under their tandem were welcomed and accompanied in their town visits by local officials from the Nationalist People's Coalition, and Abono party-list group chair Rosendo So.

Aside from promising to build a satellite office in Pangasinan, Poe also vowed to make the acquisition of farm inputs and fertilizers more affordable for farmers.

She said she will also ensure that farmers have access to low-interest loans from the government so they no longer need to borrow money from loan sharks, more commonly known as “five-six” lenders. —ALG, GMA News