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Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares (born September 3, 1968) is a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines from 2013 to 2025. An independent, she previously served as the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) from 2010 to 2012. She was a candidate in the 2016 Philippine presidential election, having ran as the standard-bearer of the Partido Galing at Puso (PGP).
The adoptive daughter of actors Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, she studied at the University of the Philippines Manila before moving to Boston College in the United States, where she finished a degree in political science. Having stayed in the United States for her adult life, she returned to the Philippines in 2004 to help her father campaign in his bid for the Philippine presidency. After he died later that year, Poe remained in the Philippines 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 Benigno Aquino III. 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 based on questions regarding her citizenship, the Supreme Court of the Philippines deemed her a natural-born Filipino citizen and she was qualified to become president based on her 10-year residency. Poe placed third in the presidential race count. In May 2019, Poe was reelected as senator, with over 22 million votes.
When the infant was discovered, the parish priest named her "Grace" in the belief that her finding was through divine grace; she was christened by Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Jaro, who would later become Archbishop of Manila. Although the cathedral issued an announcement in the hopes that her biological mother would claim her, no one stepped forward.
Poe was eventually taken in by the Militar family, with Sayong Militar's in-law Edgardo, who was a signatory on the child's foundling certificate, considered to be her possible father. Her name on her original Certificate of Live Birth was given as Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Militar. Sayong Militar later passed Grace on to her friend Tessie Ledesma Valencia, an unmarried, childless heiress of a sugar baron from Bacolod, Negros Occidental.
Valencia was also a friend of film stars Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, who were newlyweds at the time; Valencia was an acquaintance of Roces and was the one who brought Grace in trips between Bacolod and Manila. The Poes took Grace in after Valencia decided the baby would be better off with two parents in the Philippines rather than with her as a single parent in the United States, where she was moving to. Militar was initially hesitant in letting the Poe couple adopt Grace because she was unfamiliar with them, having entrusted the baby to Valencia, but was convinced by Archbishop Sin to let the couple adopt her.
Poe was legally adopted by the actors Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces and she was named Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe by them. While still young, she watched her father from the sets of his movies—even playing minor roles in some of them, such as the daughter of Paquito Diaz's character in Durugin si Totoy Bato, and as a street child in Dugo ng Bayan. Ultimately, Poe did not enter show business.
Poe has two adoptive half-siblings through her father. Both of these half-siblings are actors: Ronian, born to actress Ana Marin; and Lovi Poe (Lovi), born to model Rowena Moran. However, she did not grow up with her half-siblings, even admitting that she met Lovi for the first time only after their father died in 2004.
Fernando Jr. was rushed to the hospital after a stroke later that year. Grace immediately returned to the Philippines, only to arrive shortly after her father had died on December 14, 2004. Following her father's death, Poe and her family decided to return permanently to the Philippines on April 8, 2005 to be with her widowed mother. Grace Poe's citizenship, residency, Rappler. September 4, 2015.
While at the MTRCB, Poe had advocated for a "progressive" agency which would have enabled the television and film industries to help the Philippine economy, with her tenure being marked by an emphasis on diplomacy. At the beginning of her term, Poe instigated the implementation of a new ratings system for television programs, which she said was "designed to empower parents to exercise caution and vigilance with the viewing habits of their children". This was complemented by the implementation of a new ratings system for movies—a system which closely follows the new television ratings system—at the end of her term.
The MTRCB under Poe's tenure also implemented policies and programs to promote "intelligent viewing", such as promulgating the implementing rules and regulations for the Children's Television Act of 1997 some fifteen years after its passage, and enforcing restrictions on the type of viewing material that can be shown on public buses. Despite this thrust, Poe has spoken out against restrictions on freedom of expression, preferring self-regulation to censorship. During this time, she encouraged the creation of new cinematic output through the reduction of review fees despite cuts to its budget, and has promoted the welfare of child and female actors.
Analysts noted the rapid rise of Poe in national election surveys, which community organizer Harvey Keh attributed to popular sympathy for her father, fueled in part by high public trust in the Poe name. Prior to the start of the election season, Poe was ranked twenty-eighth in a preliminary survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in mid-2012, before the start of the filing period. Immediately after filing her candidacy, Poe initially ranked fifteenth in the first survey of the election, published by StratPOLLS. While she ranked as low as twentieth in a survey published by SWS later in the year, she entered the top 12 in January 2013, where she stayed. In the last survey issued by Pulse Asia in April 2013, she was ranked third.
While Poe herself admitted that her biggest strength in the campaign was her surname, she also conceded that it would be insufficient for her to be elected simply on that alone, emphasizing that her platform is just as important as her name in getting her elected to the Senate. She also dismissed claims that her candidacy was her family's revenge against her father's loss in 2004, saying that all she wants to do is serve should she be elected to the Senate. A day after the election, Poe was announced as among the winners with her having the highest number of votes. She was officially proclaimed a senator by the COMELEC board in May 2013, along with fellow Team PNoy candidates Chiz Escudero, Sonny Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Loren Legarda, as well United Nationalist Alliance candidate Nancy Binay (who did not attend, opting instead to send her lawyer to represent her).
Poe also stressed the importance of female participation in government, having already filed a number of laws for the betterment of women and children in her term of office; she has also called for an investigation on the proliferation of cybersex dens that prey on children and women, and an inquiry on the condition of women detainees and prisoners.
Another notable bill filed by Poe is the "First 1000 days" bill which seeks to protect and support Filipino children in their first 1,000 days after they were born. This addresses the problem of malnutrition of Filipino children by providing nutrition counselling, milk feeding, and other needs of children. In addition, Poe is also pushing for the Freedom of Information bill which will promote greater transparency and lessen corruption in the government. This bill will allow government transactions to be open to the public.
In 2015, Poe led the legislature's investigations into the Mamasapano clash, which left 44 Special Action Force members dead.
In February 2017, she voted in favor of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN Act). After the inflation rate increased due to the law, Poe said that she voted in favor because President Duterte 'needed funds'. On the same month, Poe did not support the resolution declaring that the Senate has a say in the termination of any treaty or international agreement. On December 13, 2017, she voted in favor of the extension of martial law in Mindanao. On May 17, 2018, Poe was among the senators who voted in favor of a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to review its decision granting the quo warranto petition and ousting Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. In June 2018, she voted in favor of a national ID system. In September 2018, Poe announced her bid for re-election in the Senate. On October 15, she filed her certificate of candidacy for senator.
In 2019, after the 2018 Philippine third telecommunications provider bidding, Poe chaired the committee which allowed the telecommunication franchise of Mislatel, composed of China Telecom and businessman Dennis Uy's Udenna Corp and Chelsea Logistics. The approval was controversial because of the company's connection to China, Chinese security threats, and its violations to Philippine franchise laws. Despite this, on February 6, Poe gave the green light for the company's endorsement to the plenary.
On September 16, 2015, Poe, together with Francis Escudero, declared her presidential bid, in front of hundreds of supporters, family and friends at the Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City under the newly coalition of Partido Galing at Puso, composed of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and is led by the Nationalist People's Coalition. NPC: Only 'negligible' few to move from Poe to Duterte, Rappler. November 30, 2015. Former Philippine President and Mayor of Manila Joseph Estrada has given his support to her. Estrada 'very likely' to endorse Poe's presidential bid. Rappler. December 6, 2015. On her speech announcing her presidential bid, Grace Poe laid down a 20-point program of government if she would be elected. Grace Poe officially announces presidential bid, lays down platform retrieved September 16, 2015
On November 17, 2015, the Senate Electoral Tribunal opted to drop the cases against her. Senate Tribunal denies disqualification case vs Poe, Rappler. November 17, 2015. The decision was affirmed on December 3, 2015. Grace Poe is a natural-born Filipino, SET affirms, GMA News. December 3, 2015. In their judgment on the case, the SET declared that Grace Poe, a foundling, is a "natural-born Filipino", which allowed her to retain her seat in the Philippine Senate. Rizalito David appeals SET decision on Grace Poe. Rappler. November 23, 2015. Senators explain votes on Grace Poe's disqualification case. Rappler. November 18, 2015. Grace Poe: Every foundling has right to dream. The Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 27, 2015. David filed a motion for reconsideration to reverse the ruling by SET, which was rejected on December 3, 2015, after which he filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. Oral arguments on Poe case pushed. The Manila Times. December 15, 2015. On December 1, 2015, the COMELEC's second division disqualified her as presidential candidate due to failing to meet the "10-year requirement" for residency. Under COMELEC rules, the party or coalition supporting her may file a substitute before December 10, 2015. Substitutes allowed until Dec. 10 and other rules on taking a candidate's place, GMA News. October 15, 2015. NPC leadership casts lot with Grace Poe, Chiz Escudero, GMA News. July 22, 2015. On December 11, the commission's first division also disqualified Poe. The first division, voted 2–1 in favor of the petitions to disqualify and cancel her certificate of candidacy. These decisions were appealed to the COMELEC en banc, which on December 23, 2015, formally disqualified Poe from running as president in the 2016 elections for failing to meet the 10-year residency requirement. Philippines Election Faces Turmoil as Favorite Grace Poe Disqualified , The Wall Street Journal. December 23, 2015. Poe said she would appeal the disqualification to the Supreme Court. On December 28, 2015, the Supreme Court issued two temporary restraining orders against the decision of the COMELEC en banc. Philippines Presidential Election: Grace Poe Kept On Ballot For Now By Supreme Court, International Business Times. December 28, 2015.
On March 8, 2016, voting 9–6, the Supreme Court voted to affirm Poe' natural-born status and 10-year residency. On April 9, 2016, the Supreme Court declared their ruling as final and executory.
Poe is an avid reader: she has read all the books of David Baldacci, whom she describes as her favorite author, but she has also read books from a wide variety of genres and authors. She is also a film aficionado, watching all kinds of movies but with a particular affinity for action films, conspiracy movies, movies starring her father, and movies with happy endings. Poe is a tennis player and also has a black belt in taekwondo, having competed in tournaments while in high school.
On April 16, 1992, Poe gave birth to her son, Brian Poe, a journalist who worked as a reporter for CNN Philippines. A day in the life of rookie reporter Brian Poe. The Manila Bulletin. January 20, 2015 She later gave birth to two daughters: Hanna in 1998, and Nika in 2004. Her family lived in Fairfax, Virginia, for 12 years.
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