Philippines presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe, who lost her front-runner status late into the campaign, has made a last-ditch appeal to voters saying she can guide the economy to growth and unify the country as president.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel with just hours left for the electing, Poe said the economy will be safe under her presidency and that she will create an economic environment conducive to investment.
Apparently trying to move away from the controversial election pitches her leading rival Rodrigo Duterte has undertaken to race to the top in opinion polls, Poe said Philippines deserves better.
She said her presidency will revolve around the theme of greater development in the Philippines, which will put the country on par with other developed countries of Asia.
"I will create the right economic environment for this and certainly I think I have the temperament, the energy, and maybe the moral ground to stand on to be able to be able to rally the country," she said, according to the Inquirer.
The latest opinion survey showed that Duterte surged ahead of his rivals. While Duterte now enjoys 32 percent support among potential voters, Poe is at the second place with 25 percent support.
The survey, which took the opinion of 3,000 voters between April 27 and May 1, showed Duterte's lead has increased by two percentage points from 30 percent in the previous survey. However, Poe's support declined two percentage points from 27 percent earlier.
Poe, looking to force a swing in her favour in the dying moments of the campaign, said people who think the situation in the Philippines currently is good need not vote for her. Neither do those who want the country to be taken back 40 years when basic freed was curtailed.
She also stressed on the need to unify the country around an inspiring leader. "...It's also important to realize that the president that will implement these economic policies actually has the mandate and should have the capability to inspire people, because you can have the best policies, but if you cannot communicate it to the people, they may not be able to rally behind you," Poe said.
