Chiz says Kris Aquino joining Visayas, Mindanao sorties

For her first appearance in the senatorial campaign, President Aquino's youngest sister, movie-television celebrity host Kris Aquino, will be accompanying re-electionist Senator Francis Escudero and former MTRCB chair Grace Poe on their visit to some parts of Visayas and Mindanao this week.   In a statement released Tuesday, Escudero's camp said Kris will be joining him and Poe on their visit to General Santos City and Davao City on Thursday and to Cebu City and Tacloban City on Friday.    Escudero's office told GMA News Online that this was Aquino's commitment to the two Senate bets.   Escudero, who had served as Aquino's co-host on her talk show, said he will be having radio and television appearances in the Visayas and Mindanao legs of his campaign this week.   The senator's camp said Kris' presence is "expected to add color to Escudero’s regional tour in the final leg of the campaign period prior to the May 13 polls." Earlier in the week, Aquino raised a few eyebrows after she endorsed a local bet in Makati from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) instead of the Liberal Party, which her brother chairs. Escudero, meanwhile, said they will continue to work hard until the May elections.   “For Team Chiz, the philosophy is never to let our guard down and to run scared with the survey results guiding our steps along the way. We treat all surveys as credible regardless if these show a rise or fall in my rating,” he said in the same statement.   Earlier in the day, a Pulse Asia survey showed Escudero being statistically tied with Sen. Loren Legarda at first to second places. This is contrary to recent surveys conducted by the Social Weather Stations where he continued to drop in the ranking.   “Let us wait for the final election tally, until then survey results merely provide previews of the people’s will,” Escudero said.   He attributed his Pulse Asia rank to the "hard work" he and his team had exerted during the campaign.   “It is always my stand that being on the top of the survey is not a reason to be complacent and those in the bottom half to lose heart. In the end, being elected on top or at the bottom will have the same responsibility in a six-year term at the Senate,” he said. — Kimberly RSJ/KBK, GMA News