Grace Poe’s economic brain trust: Habito, Bernardo, Fabella, La Vina, and Banatao

Senator Grace Poe is making up for her lack of experience by getting some of the best and brightest as her advisers.

Poe told a packed Manila Polo Club crowd on Nov. 25, 2015 some of the people who have helped shape her campaign platform – former Socio Economic Planning Secretary Cielito Habito, former Finance Undersecretary Romeo Bernardo, former Environment Undersecretary Antonio La Vina, economist Raul Fabella, and Filipino-American Silicon Valley entrepreneur Diosdado Banatao.

“The people who are advising me are members from the academe, from the business community. Some of you are already helping me, but of course you don’t want to be identified at the moment,” said Poe in reply to ANC Karen Davila’s question that “many people in this room probably fear that Sen. Chiz Escudero is your closest adviser.”

When asked if there was anybody else advising her from the audience composed of alumna of Harvard, Wharton-Penn, and Kellogg, Poe replied: “Yes, some of them. Will you please stand up and identify yourselves?” Nobody stood up but there was nervous laughter all around.

She said that while experience was valuable, it was more important for leaders to have integrity, ability to choose people wisely, and the courage to decide.

Poe said she was open to retaining some of the members of the Aquino Cabinet but she would fire the bad eggs should she win in 2016. Poe said she would appoint Cabinet members based on their skills and integrity and not on political connections

“I will choose my Cabinet based on merit not by friendship. Good managers after all are not easy to find. Most of you in the businesses know that. So when one finds people doing a good job, why replace them just because the administration has changed?” said Poe.

Source: www.politics.com.ph