Poe aired the vow at a fellowship dinner with political leaders of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) in Makati. LDP, along with the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino and the PDP-Laban, comprise the three political parties in the KNP.
"Restoring trust and confidence in government is the core of my campaign and the main thrust of my administration," Poe said. "All of our woes could all be traced to one major problem: the waning public trust and confidence in government. That’s why I will be focusing on this aspect."
Over 200 political leaders of Laban attended the fellowship dinner at the Makati City residence of opposition Sen. Tessie Aquino Oreta.
They included Sen. Edgardo Angara, LDP president; Sen. Vicente Sotto III; chairman Dondon Bagatsing; KNP senatorial bet Ernesto Herrera; LLDP secretary general Ike Zaldivar; Acmad Tomawis of Lanao del Sur; Rep. Allen Quimpo of Aklan; Alvin Garcia of Cebu City; and Rep. Bella Angara of Aurora province.
Also in attendance were Carlitos Fortich of Bukidnon; Rep. Chuck Mathay of Quezon City; Jess Abalos of Lanao del Norte; Rep. Jun Chipeco of Laguna; former Quezon City mayor and LDP mayoral bet Ismael Mathay; Pasay City Mayor Peewee Trinidad; former Rep. Miguel Romero of Dumaguete; Nabil Tan of Tawi-Tawi; Raul Ople of Bulacan; and Wilmar Lucero of Northern Samar.
Earlier, Poe met with some 30 captains of Philippine business at the country’s financial capital Wednesday to tackle the country’s burgeoning deficit, weakening investor confidence, and other urgent economic concerns.
The 90-minute round-table discussion hosted by the Philippines Inc. at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City, the country’s central financial district, was dubbed by its organizers as "very candid".
Poe told the industry leaders belonging to, among others, the Philippines Inc., Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Philexport, Bankers Association of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and the Philippine-USA Business Club that his ongoing consultations with various sectors, along with his life experiences, have impressed on him that the country’s economic and socio-political woes could all be traced to this core problem: the waning public trust and confidence in government.
Poe said his being a non-politician was a plus factor because this meant he had no political baggage and was beholden to no one as far as implementing the programs that need to be pursued in a post-Arroyo administration.
Aside from the yawning budget deficit and the weak investor confidence, Poe identified the other ills battering the economy as the anemic tax collections, rising unemployment and unbridled migration of young Filipinos in search of better jobs abroad, lack of access to quality education, rising cost of schooling, inadequate investments in rural infrastructure and agricultural research and development, rampant official corruption, and the unchecked peace and order problems, particularly in Mindanao, that have spooked investors and adversely affected domestic tourism.
Philippines Inc. president Miguel Varela said that businessmen were happy to know that Poe already had a government program in mind to attack these long-pressing concerns.
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Retired gemerals
Over 50 retired military and police generals expressed over the weekend their full support for the candidacy of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard bearer Fernando Poe Jr., saying they believe that he alone among the present crop of presidential candidates can unify the nation and heal its deep political wounds.
Led by its founding chairman retired General Roberto Calinisan, the Alliance of Generals for Poe (AGPOE) said it would exhort its fellow officers in active duty to remain neutral and impartial in the forthcoming May elections and not allow themselves to be used to advance Malacańang’s political agenda.
AGPOE’s formal support for Poe came a day after the First Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) junked a petition to disqualify Poe, ruling that the latter is a natural-born Filipino because his father, Fernando Poe Sr., was a Filipino born in San Carlos, Pangasinan.
"We believe in FPJ’s (Poe’s) ideals, commitment and dedication," Calinisan said at a fellowship meeting with Poe and members of AGPOE Saturday afternoon at the Bakahan at Manukan Restaurant in San Juan. "Being a non-politician, we see him as the only person who can unite our country towards development. He is a symbol of unity."
Also at the fellowship meeting were retired generals Tomas Diaz, who chairs the Alliance of Generals; Cesar Fortuno, head of the Military-Police Retirees and Veterans Organization (MPRVO); Jaime Echeverria, former head of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO); Enrique Cuadra, Antonio Arriola, Antonio Villanueva, Aquilino Jacob, Enrique Atanacio, Cirilo Bueno, Cesar Abella, Antonio Palafox, Salvador Flores, Danilo Flores, Pedro Balbanero, Angel Sadang, Elpidio Ablang, Pedro Navarro, Rodolfo Garcia, Larry Andes, Rey Cabauatan, Edgardo Maristela and Commodore Nick Hernandez.
Poe thanked the generals for their support and for their faith and confidence in him. "Thank you very much for your support and confidence in me," he said in Filipino.
The KNP presidential bet told the retired military and police officers he was running to fulfill his "assignment from the people."
His wife, family and siblings, Poe said, did not want him to run but he felt he could not anymore turn his back on the people who had placed their hopes on him in putting in place a government that they could trust once more and that could effectively deliver essential services to them.
In their manifesto to President Arroyo, former President Ramos, Speaker Jose de Venecia, Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos and the Supreme Court, AGPOE members, with the Alliance of Generals, cited the need to "uphold the impartiality and neutrality of the military and the police in the forthcoming 2004 national elections."
"Any attempt to utilize the officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces (AFP) and the police, or any of its offices, in the national political campaign efforts of the administration, under any pretext of legality, would be viewed as a brazen violation and usurpation of the Constitution which most of them have sworn to preserve and protect," the manifesto stated.
Calinisan said: "It is important that the AFP and the national police remain neutral so they would not be used for election cheating."
The retired generals said they have received reports from "sympathetic division and battalion commanders in the south on big financial offers in return for support for the administration candidate."
"Reportedly, some officers have allegedly received large sums of money. Other conscientious officers, have, however, declined to accept – maintaining their moral ascendancy and loyalty to the Constitution and to the people whom they have sworn to protect," their manifesto said.
Earlier, the two-million strong Freedom, Peace and Justice Movement (FPJM) also threw their support behind Poe and pledged to solidify support for the united opposition bet down to the grassroots level.
Manny Portes, president of FPJM, said the movement will campaign for Poe at the "provincial, municipal and even the barangay level" to ensure his landslide victory in the May elections and will also field some 560,000 coordinators in all polling precincts on election day "to guard our votes for FPJ and ensure that they are counted."
