Presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe of Partido Galing at Puso denied the allegations thrown at her and noted that she is not a puppet of her political supporters including one of the country’s most influential businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., a close relative of President Benigno S. Aquino and the late Pres. Corazon Aquino.
During the second leg of the highly popular presidential debate initiated by Comelec and the University of Philippines, Sen. Grace Poe was asked by TV host Lourd de Veyra stated that Mayor Rody Duterte, had called Poe a puppet of Cojuangco, the founder of NPC which has endorse Sen. Grace Poe’s candidacy for 2016.
The senator responded “Hindi po si Mayor Duterte ang nagsabi na ako ay puppet kung hindi isang miyembro ng kanyang campaign,” she said.
Sen. Grace Poe explained that the controversial coco levy funds worth P70 billion are no longer with Danding Cojuangco and revealed that the funds were already with the national government under the administration of Pres. Aquino.
“Ang pera na ito ay wala na kay Danding Cojuangco at kung nasa kaniya pa man, ako ay magiging patas,” Poe said. In June 2015, the Supreme Court stopped the implementation of two executive orders — EO 179 and EO 180 — issued by Aquino covering the fund.
