MANILA, Philippines – Just a day after Senator Grace Poe declared her presidential bid for the 2016 elections, Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero on Thursday, September 17, also formally accepted the "challenge" to be her running mate at the Club Filipino in San Juan.
In his brief speech, Escudero said that he and Poe will lead the government with compassion and establish a "Gobyernong may Puso (Government with a heart)".
The Senator also reiterated that the tandem will be running independently, saying, "Pilipinas po ang aming partido...at mga Pilipino ang aming mga kapartido" and took a swipe at critics who say that he is weighing down Poe’s presidential bid. (The Philippines is our party and the Filipinos are our partymates.)
"Escudero lang ang aking apelyido, di kasing bantog ng Quezon, Roxas, o Osmeña.... Naniniwala ako na ang bawa't Pilipino, mayaman o hindi, bantog o hindi ang pangalan, may karapatan ialay ang sarili," he said.
(My surname is just Escudero, not as famous as Quezon, Roxas, or Osmeña.... I believe that every Filipino, wealthy or not, with or without a famous name, has the right to offer himself.)
Some netizens however, think otherwise.
Grace-Chiz or Chiz-Chiz?
On Twitter, "Sen. Chiz Escudero" and "Poe-Chiz" trended in the Philippines. Netizens were just as quick to react to Escudero’s announcement as they were on Poe’s.
Some claimed that Poe will just be a puppet to Escudero and is only being used by the latter for her popularity to win the elections, and even get a chance at the presidency himself.
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<div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/rappler/chiz-chiz/embed?header=false" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/rappler/chiz-chiz.js?header=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/rappler/chiz-chiz" target="_blank">View the story "Chiz-Chiz?" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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#WagnaPoeChiz
Some were simply not impressed with the tandem, citing Poe's lack of experience and Escudero's performance as senator and allegedly poor contribution to the development of his hometown, Sorsogon.
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<div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/rappler/wagnapoe/embed?header=false" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/rappler/wagnapoe.js?header=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/rappler/wagnapoe" target="_blank">View the story "#WagNaPoeChiz" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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#GracePoe2016
Despite these negative reactions, supporters of the new tandem also took to social media to express their support.
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<div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/rappler/gracechiz2016/embed?header=false" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/rappler/gracechiz2016.js?header=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/rappler/gracechiz2016" target="_blank">View the story "#GraceChiz2016" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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We also asked our readers about their thoughts on Grace Poe's choice of Escudero as running-mate. Here are their answers:
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<div id="fb-root"></div><script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/rapplerdotcom/posts/1055362207817895:0" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/rapplerdotcom/posts/1055362207817895:0"><p>Tell us what you think! Fill in the blank below and share your thoughts about the Poe-Escudero tandem! #PHVoteDetails on rappler.com/phvote</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rapplerdotcom">Rappler</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rapplerdotcom/posts/1055362207817895:0">Wednesday, September 16, 2015</a></blockquote></div></div>
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What are your thoughts on #GraceChiz2016? Tell us in the comments or write your own reaction story on X.
For the latest updates on the 2016 elections, visit and bookmark PHVote. – with reports from Lou Gepuela/Rappler.com