Senator Grace Poe and the missing foot padding solved?

smileredunhappyWhat if government officials, whether elected or appointed, and their staff, would attempt to lie on petty, simple, minute and negligible details and things? Can we also deduce there is prevailing possibility that they could lie more than that? This is the essence of our video.

On April 26, 2017 I posted a story on the visit of Senator Grace Poe of the rice paddy art in the farms of the Philippine Rice Reseacrh Institute.

I also included a photo of the senator courtesy of the Philippine News Agency. I even added a caption that says “By the looks of it, Senator Grace Poe enjoys her visit of the rice paddy art in the farms of Philippine Rice Research Institute at the Science City of Munoz in Nueva Ecija.”

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As a short reaction, I noted on the first line of that article with the statement that “No, Senator Grace Poe is not about to fly a green flying carpet.”

The good senator had a photo op taken at the ‘rice paddy’ in Barangay Maligaya, the hub of the institute’s research and test laboratory, also dedicated to GMO research testing facility by the government.

Looking closely now on the picture, it would seem that that foot padding was well placed to protect the senator’s shoes or part of it from getting mud or dirt, otherwise, she would have just stood on the ground. But on this particular photo op, the senator should have not worried her shoes will get dirty because the ground is dry. Lets take a closer look.

The Senator traveled to Central Luzon to witness herself the rice paddy art which somehow claimed it featured the faces of actors Fernando Poe, Jr. and Coco Martin, both having portrayed the main character of “Ang Probinsyano” (movie for Poe, and TV series for Martin). The late Fernando Poe is Grace Poe’s father.

The rice paddy art, featured the purple rice variety which is part of the Philippine Rice Research Institute’s FutureRice project.

The rice paddy art was reported to have gathered the interest of tourists from some parts of the country.

A day after posting the short piece about the senator’s visit, we received a facebook message asking us to “correct” or remove the reference to a “foot padding” where the good senator stood for the photo shoot.

We were informed to keep in contact with a staff member of Senator Grace Poe, specifically Ms. Marivic Chavez, for the purpose.

I would not know the exact and truthful answer why a correction is necessry because I was not able to make a call for I did not intend to make one in the first place.

I interpreted the photo all by its visual appearance and message appeal, me being part of the general public. It was our personal opinion and interpretation. There was no malice intended.

The staff of Senator Poe during that photo shoot should have thought of the simple implication of letting her stand on that green foot padding. Whether the foot padding was there intentional or unintentional, it was beyond our understanding and knowledge. It was their lookout and concern on the first place.

So here I maintain that that foot padding was there for the photo shoot.

This non-issue(?) could have ended after our posting of the second reaction article. But when I revisited the issue(?) and made a double checking to my surprise this is what I found.

The office of Senator Poe released to the media an official photo of her rice paddy art visit which looked different. Most of the national dailies, including the Philippine Daily Inquirer, used the photo her office issued in their printed news and on their online sites without checking.

Here we see the senator posing, and look below, she is standing on the ground, without the green padding.

I compared the two photos, one that was taken by the Philippine News Agency and the other that was released by the senator’s office. There is no difference as to her pose, her arms, the shadow on the right part of her body, the left open palm and the right hand with one finger somehow pointing. Except for the disappearance of the green padding on her feet which now stood on the ground!

So this are our assumptions. One, maybe, the senator’s staff took a different photo but with the same posing.. She was made to freeze her pose while the green padding was being pulled off her feet which would look funny and awkward while they were doing that and the senator may have gone out of balance.

Or maybe, the picture was photo shopped to make it appear that there never was a padding on her feet at all.

So that was why I got a note from the senator’s staff.

If they did not want to show Senator Poe with the foot padding, her staff should have prevailed the PNA photographer from sharing the picture.

The Philrice has a penchant for doing just that, making rice paddy art in their attempt to attract people to go visit their place.

Previously, it also made a rice paddy art of nationalist Jose Rizal, and that of President Duterte and Vice President Robredo.

The Philrice is one government agency that is busy with genetic modification of crops which include rice.

Watch the full video on our Youtube NOAH- News One And Half channel HERE.

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