The Honorable Grace Poe |
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Senator of the Philippines | |
Assumed office June 30, 2013 |
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Chair of the Philippine Senate Public Services Committee |
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Assumed office July 25, 2016 |
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Preceded by | Bong Revilla |
Chair of the Philippine Senate Public Information and Mass Media Committee |
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Assumed office July 22, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Gregorio Honasan |
Chair of the Philippine Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee |
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In office July 22, 2013 – July 25, 2016 |
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Preceded by | Gregorio Honasan |
Succeeded by | Panfilo Lacson |
Chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board | |
In office October 10, 2010 – October 2, 2012 |
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Preceded by | Consoliza Laguardia |
Succeeded by | Eugenio Villareal |
Personal details | |
Born |
baptized September 3, 1968 Iloilo City, Philippines |
Political party |
Independent (2003–2015) Aksyon (2015–present) |
Other political affiliations |
Republican (U.S.) (1990) Team PNoy (2012–13) NPC (2016) PGP (2015–present) |
Spouse(s) | Neil Llamanzares (m. 1991) |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater |
University of the Philippines, Manila Boston College |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Website | Campaign website |
Grace Poe (baptized September 3, 1968) is a Filipino senator, businesswoman, educator, and philanthropist. She is the adopted daughter of actors Susan Roces and Fernando Poe, Jr. She served as chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) from 2010 to 2012 and in the Philippine Senate since 2013.
Poe studied at the University of the Philippines Manila, where she majored in development studies, but moved to Boston College in Massachusetts, United States where she finished a degree in political science and has spent much of her adult life in Fairfax, Virginia. In 2004, her adoptive father ran for the Philippine presidency against the incumbent, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but was defeated; he died months later. On April 8, 2005, Grace returned to the Philippines after learning that her father had died. She began pursuing her father's rights over the results of the election and campaigned against alleged electoral fraud.
Poe ran for a seat in the Philippine Senate during the election in 2013 as an Independent affiliated with the Team PNoy coalition of Aquino. She ended up winning more votes than other candidates and over 20 million votes, ahead of Loren Legarda, who previously topped two elections. She was a candidate for the 2016 presidential election. Despite numerous attempts to have her disqualified, the Supreme Court of the Philippines deemed her a natural-born Filipino citizen and she is qualified to become President based on her 10-year residency. Poe was placed third in the Presidential Race count.