Grace Poe is a prominent Filipino politician, businesswoman, educator, and philanthropist who has served as a senator since 2013.

She is the adoptive daughter of legendary actors Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, widely regarded as the king and queen of Philippine cinema.

She was also a presidential candidate in the 2016 Philippine general election, placing third behind Rodrigo Duterte and Mar Roxas.

She is known for being an independent voice in the Senate and a champion of the people’s rights and welfare.

Profile

• Full name: Mary Grace Sonora Poe-Llamanzares
• Date of birth: September 3, 1968
• Age: 55 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines
• Nationality: Filipino
• Profession: Politician, businesswoman, educator, philanthropist
• Height: 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
• Parents: Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (Fernando Poe Jr.) and Jesusa Sonora (Susan Roces) (adoptive parents)
• Siblings: Lovi Poe (half-sister)
• Spouse: Teodoro Misael Daniel V. Llamanzares (Neil Llamanzares)
• Children: Brian Poe Llamanzares, Hanna Poe Llamanzares, and Nikka Poe Llamanzares
• Relationship status: Married
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life & Education

Grace Poe, currently 55, was born on September 3, 1968, in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines.

She was found abandoned in a church by Sayong Militar, who then gave her to Tessie Ledesma Valencia, a friend of Susan Roces.

Valencia then arranged for Grace to be adopted by Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, who were childless then.

Grace grew up with her adoptive parents and half-sister Lovi Poe, the daughter of Fernando Poe Jr. and his former partner Anna Marin. Grace attended Assumption College in Makati for her elementary and high school education.

She then enrolled at the University of the Philippines Manila, where she majored in development studies. However, she did not finish her degree and moved to the United States with her family in 1988 following the failed coup attempt against then-President Corazon Aquino.

She continued her studies at Boston College in Massachusetts, earning a political science degree in 1991. She also took up some courses in Montessori education at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in New York.

Personal Life

Grace Poe married Teodoro Misael Llamanzares, also known as Neil Llamanzares, a former US Air Force officer, in 1991.

They met at Boston College, where Neil was also studying political science. They have three children: Brian, Hanna, and Nikka.

Brian is a former reporter and anchor for CNN Philippines, who also served as his mother’s campaign spokesman in the 2016 presidential election.

Hanna graduated from Ateneo de Manila University, where she majored in European studies. Nikka is a University of the Philippines Diliman student taking up psychology.

Grace and her family lived in the US for several years, where she worked as a teacher, procurement officer, product manager, and film producer.

She also became a naturalized US citizen in 2001. However, she decided to return to the Philippines in 2004, following the death of her adoptive father, who was also a presidential candidate in the 2004 Philippine general election.

She renounced her US citizenship in 2010 before becoming chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

Career

Grace Poe began her career as a teacher at a Montessori school in Virginia, where she taught preschool children. She then worked as a procurement officer at the US Geological Survey, in charge of purchasing scientific equipment.

She also worked as a product manager at Scientific Atlanta, a telecommunications company, where she handled the marketing of various products.

She later became a film producer, working with her adoptive father’s film outfit, FPJ Productions. She produced several movies, such as Ang Panday, Pakners, and Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko.

She entered public service in 2010 when then-President Benigno Aquino III appointed her as the chairperson of the MTRCB, the government agency that regulates and classifies movies and television shows in the Philippines.

She implemented reforms and policies to protect the welfare of the viewers and the industry, such as the adoption of a new classification system, the establishment of a gender and development committee, the promotion of child-friendly programs, and the conduct of dialogues and consultations with various stakeholders.

She ran for a seat in the Philippine Senate in 2013 as an independent candidate affiliated with the Team PNoy coalition of then-President Aquino.

She topped the senatorial race with over 20 million votes, ahead of Loren Legarda, who previously topped two elections.

As a senator, she has been the chair of various committees, such as the Senate Economic Affairs Committee, the Senate Public Services Committee, the Senate Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies Committee, and the Senate Public Information and Mass Media Committee.

She has authored and sponsored several bills and resolutions on various issues, such as the Freedom of Information Act, the Anti-Dynasty Law, the National Feeding Program, the Emergency Medical Services System, the Philippine Space Development Act, and the Anti-Discrimination Act.

She also ran for president in the 2016 Philippine general election but lost to Rodrigo Duterte. She placed third in the official count with 9.1 million votes, behind Duterte and Mar Roxas.

She faced several challenges and controversies during her campaign, such as the questions about her citizenship and residency, the disqualification cases filed against her, the allegations of being a puppet of the Aquino administration, and the cyberattacks on her website and social media accounts.

She conceded defeat gracefully and vowed to continue serving the country as a senator. She is serving her second term as a senator, which will end in 2025.

Net Worth

According to various sources, Grace Poe has an estimated net worth of $5 million. She has earned wealth from her various careers as a teacher, procurement officer, product manager, film producer, and politician.

She inherited some assets from her adoptive father, one of Philippine cinema’s most successful and influential actors.

Controversy

Grace Poe has faced several controversies and criticisms throughout her career, especially during her presidential bid in 2016.

Some of the most notable ones are:

Her citizenship and residency. She was accused of being ineligible to run for president because she was not a natural-born Filipino citizen, and she did not meet the 10-year residency requirement.

After doing so, she was also questioned for renouncing her US citizenship and using a US passport.

She defended herself by saying she was a foundling with the right to be considered a Filipino citizen under the 1935 Constitution and international law.

She also said she had renounced her US citizenship in good faith and lived in the Philippines since 2005, except for some short trips abroad.

Her disqualification cases. She was challenged by several petitioners who sought to disqualify her from the presidential race on the grounds of her citizenship and residency.

She was initially disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division and the Comelec en banc. Still, she appealed to the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled in her favor and allowed her to run for president.

She said the disqualification cases were politically motivated and meant to deprive the people of their right to choose their leader.

Her alleged puppetry. She was accused of being a puppet of the Aquino administration and the Liberal Party, which supported her rival, Mar Roxas. She was also linked to the controversial Danding Cojuangco, who was rumored to be her biological father and who was a known ally of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

She denied these allegations and said she was an independent candidate with her vision and platform for the country. She also said that she did not know who her biological parents were and that she respected and loved her adoptive parents, who raised her as their own.

Her cyberattacks. She was a target of cyberattacks that hacked her website and social media accounts, as well as spread fake news and propaganda against her. She said these cyberattacks were part of a systematic and coordinated effort to discredit her and manipulate public opinion.

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @sengracepoe
• Twitter handle: @sengracepoe

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