Grace Poe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grace Poe
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Poe in 2012
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| Senator of the Philippines | |
| Assumed office June 30, 2013 |
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| Chair of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee | |
| Assumed office July 25, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Imee Marcos |
| Chair of the Senate Public Services Committee | |
| Assumed office July 25, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Bong Revilla |
| Chair of the Senate Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies Committee | |
| In office July 22, 2019 – June 30, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Francis Escudero |
| Succeeded by | Mark Villar |
| Chair of the Senate Public Information and Mass Media Committee | |
| In office July 22, 2013 – June 30, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Gregorio Honasan |
| Succeeded by | Bong Revilla |
| Chair of the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee | |
| In office July 22, 2013 – June 30, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Gregorio Honasan |
| Succeeded by | Panfilo Lacson |
| Chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board | |
| In office October 10, 2010 – October 2, 2012 |
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| President | Benigno Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Consoliza Laguardia |
| Succeeded by | Eugenio Villareal |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe
September 3, 1968 Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines |
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (1990) |
| Spouse |
Neil Llamanzares
(m. 1991) |
| Relations | Lovi Poe (half-sister) Sheryl Cruz (cousin) Rosemarie Sonora (aunt) Andy Poe (uncle) Conrad Poe (uncle) Fernando Poe Sr. (grandfather) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | Fernando Poe Jr. Susan Roces |
| Alma mater | University of the Philippines Manila Boston College (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares, known simply as Grace Poe, is a Filipino politician. She has been a senator since 2013. Before becoming a senator, she led the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) from 2010 to 2012.
Grace Poe is the adopted daughter of famous actors Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces. She studied at the University of the Philippines Manila and later at Boston College in the United States, where she earned a degree in political science. She lived in the U.S. for many years. In 2004, her adoptive father ran for president but lost and passed away a few months later. Grace Poe returned to the Philippines in 2005 to be with her mother and to look into the election results.
In 2013, Grace Poe ran for the Philippine Senate as an independent candidate. She won with the most votes, showing how popular she was. In 2016, she ran for president. Even though there were questions about her citizenship, the Supreme Court of the Philippines decided she was a natural-born Filipino citizen and could run. She finished third in the election. In 2019, she was reelected as a senator.
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Grace Poe's Early Life
Grace Poe was found on September 3, 1968, in Iloilo City, Philippines. She was discovered in the holy water font of the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral. The priest who found her named her "Grace" because he believed her discovery was a gift from God.
The church announced her finding, hoping her birth mother would come forward, but no one did. Grace was first cared for by the Militar family. Later, she was taken in by Tessie Ledesma Valencia, a friend of famous actors Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces.
The Poes, who were newlyweds, decided to adopt Grace. They named her Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe. As a child, she sometimes visited her father on movie sets and even had small roles in a few of his films. However, she chose not to become an actress herself.
Education and Learning
Grace Poe went to elementary school at Saint Paul College of Pasig and Saint Paul College of Makati starting in 1975. For high school, she attended Assumption College San Lorenzo from 1982.
After high school, she enrolled at the University of the Philippines Manila. She later moved to Boston College in the United States, where she earned a degree in political science in 1991. While in college, she gained experience by interning for a political campaign.
Political Journey
Helping in the 2004 Election
In 2003, Grace Poe's father, Fernando Poe Jr., decided to run for president of the Philippines in the 2004 Philippine presidential election. Grace returned to the Philippines to help him with his campaign. After the election, she went back to the United States.
Her father passed away in December 2004. Grace quickly returned to the Philippines. In April 2005, she and her family decided to move back to the Philippines permanently to be with her widowed mother.
Leading the MTRCB
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Grace Poe to be the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). This agency is responsible for rating movies and TV shows. She started her role in October 2010 and was reappointed for another term in 2011.
While leading the MTRCB, Grace Poe worked to make the agency more helpful to the film and TV industries. She introduced new rating systems for both television programs and movies. These new systems were designed to help parents choose what their children watch.
She also promoted "intelligent viewing" by creating rules for children's television and restricting what could be shown on public buses. Grace Poe believed in freedom of expression and encouraged self-regulation rather than strict censorship. She also supported the creation of new films by reducing review fees and worked to protect child and female actors.
Running for Senate in 2013
Grace Poe was rumored to run for senator as early as 2010. In October 2012, President Aquino announced that she would be part of the administration's "Team PNoy" senatorial team. She officially ran as an independent candidate.
Many people noticed Grace Poe's quick rise in election surveys. Some believed it was due to public sympathy for her father. She started outside the top 12 candidates but quickly moved up. By April 2013, she was ranked third in surveys.
Grace Poe admitted that her family name was a big help in her campaign. However, she also stressed that her plans and goals for the country were just as important. She denied that her candidacy was about getting revenge for her father's loss in 2004. After the election, Grace Poe won the most votes among all candidates and was officially announced as a senator in May 2013.
What She Stood For
In the 2013 elections, Grace Poe promised to continue her father's legacy. Her plans included creating more opportunities and training for Filipino workers. She also wanted to ensure job security for people with disabilities and protect workers in the informal sector.
Some of her specific ideas included bringing back a national elementary school lunch program and installing security cameras in government offices. She also spoke out against Internet censorship.
Grace Poe also believes that women should play a big part in government. She has filed laws to help women and children. She also called for investigations into the conditions of women in detention.
Grace Poe said, "Good leadership is not just about a few people getting ahead. It's about everyone moving forward, especially those who are struggling." She shared this message at a meeting mostly attended by women leaders. "It's important for women to truly be involved in public matters. Women leaders have valuable ideas on issues that affect everyone."
Serving in the Senate (2013–2016)
On her first day as a senator, Grace Poe proposed a bill to promote "film tourism." This bill aimed to make the Philippines a top location for local and international films. She believed this would create jobs and boost tourism.
She also filed the "Sustenance for the Filipino Child" bill. This bill aimed to provide free nutritious meals to children in public elementary and high schools. Its goal was to fight hunger and malnutrition among Filipino youth.
Another important bill she filed was the "First 1000 days" bill. This bill aimed to support Filipino children during their first 1,000 days of life. It focused on providing nutrition counseling and other needs to address childhood malnutrition. Grace Poe also pushed for the Freedom of Information bill, which would make government actions more transparent and help reduce corruption.
In 2015, Senator Poe led investigations into the Mamasapano clash, a tragic event where 44 Special Action Force members died.
Running for President in 2016
Grace Poe was widely considered a possible candidate for president or vice president in the 2016 Philippine presidential election. In June 2015, she topped presidential preference polls, showing strong public support.
On September 16, 2015, Grace Poe officially announced her presidential candidacy. She did this in front of many supporters, family, and friends at the University of the Philippines. She ran under the "Partido Galing at Puso" coalition. Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada also supported her. In her speech, Grace Poe outlined a 20-point plan for the government if she were elected.
Questions About Her Qualification
In June 2015, some people claimed that Grace Poe did not meet the 10-year residency requirement to be a presidential candidate. This was based on her 2012 certificate of candidacy for senator, where she stated she had lived in the Philippines for six years and six months.
However, in November 2015, the Senate Electoral Tribunal decided to drop the cases against her. They declared that Grace Poe, as a foundling, is a "natural-born Filipino." This allowed her to keep her seat in the Senate.
Despite this, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) later disqualified her as a presidential candidate in December 2015, again citing the residency requirement. Grace Poe appealed these decisions to the Supreme Court. On December 28, 2015, the Supreme Court temporarily stopped COMELEC's decision.
Finally, on March 8, 2016, the Supreme Court voted to confirm Grace Poe's natural-born status and her 10-year residency. This decision became final in April 2016, allowing her to run for president.
Serving in the Senate (2016–Present)
In November 2016, Grace Poe voted to reject the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery).
In February 2017, she voted for the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN Act). After this law led to higher inflation, Poe stated she voted for it because the President needed funds. In the same month, she did not support a resolution that would give the Senate a say in ending treaties. In December 2017, she voted to extend martial law in Mindanao.
In May 2018, Poe was among the senators who voted for a resolution asking the Supreme Court to review its decision to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. In June 2018, she voted in favor of creating a national ID system. In September 2018, Poe announced she would seek re-election to the Senate. She filed her candidacy in October.
In 2019, Grace Poe chaired the committee that approved the telecommunication franchise for Mislatel. This company was partly owned by China Telecom. The approval caused some debate due to the company's connection to China and concerns about security. Despite these concerns, Poe gave the green light for the company's endorsement in February.
On May 13, 2019, Grace Poe was reelected to the Senate. She received over 22 million votes, placing second among all senatorial candidates.
Personal Life
Grace Poe worked as a preschool teacher in 1995. In 1998, she worked as a liaison officer for the United States Geological Survey. After returning to the Philippines in 2005, she became vice president and treasurer of her father's film company, FPJ Productions. She was in charge of keeping the company's collection of over 200 films.
Grace Poe loves to read all kinds of books. She also enjoys movies, especially action films, conspiracy movies, and those starring her father. She likes movies with happy endings. Grace Poe is also a tennis player and has a black belt in taekwondo. She competed in taekwondo tournaments when she was in high school.
Citizenship Details
Grace Poe is a natural-born Filipino. In 2001, she became a U.S. citizen. In October 2010, she gave up her American citizenship, as allowed by Philippine law.
Her Family
Grace Poe has two adoptive half-siblings from her father, Fernando Poe Jr. Both are actors: Ronian and Lourdes Virginia (Lovi). She did not grow up with them and met Lovi for the first time after their father passed away.
Grace Poe married Teodoro Misael Daniel "Neil" Vera Llamanzares on July 27, 1991. Neil Llamanzares was born a Filipino and also had American citizenship until 2016. He served in the United States Air Force and later worked for a company called Science Applications International Corporation. After Grace Poe returned to the Philippines, he worked for San Miguel Corporation.
Grace Poe and Neil Llamanzares have three children. Their son, Brian, was born in 1992 and became a journalist. They also have two daughters, Hanna (born 1998) and Nika (born 2004). Her family lived in Fairfax, Virginia, for 12 years.
Political Views and Actions
Grace Poe's political views focus on helping ordinary Filipinos. She supports programs that provide food for children, improve public services, and make the government more open and honest. She also believes in protecting the welfare of women and children.
She has often emphasized that leaders should focus on the progress of everyone, especially those who are less fortunate. She also highlights the important role women play in public affairs and leadership.
See also
In Spanish: Grace Poe para niños
