Senator Grace Poe on Monday defended her father, the late Fernando Poe, Jr. from presidential aspirant Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno’s campaign strategist, Lito Banayo after the latter claimed her father’s refusal to attend debates and interviews affected his presidential bid in May 2004.

Poe, who also vied for the presidency during the May 2016 elections, said that while participating in public debates is important for any presidential aspirant, she does not believe this alone affected her father’s campaign.

“For a campaign strategist as seasoned as Lito, I’m surprised he would largely attribute the results of the 2004 elections to a single aspect of the campaign,” Poe said in a statement.

“It’s almost as if he forgot about the ‘Hello, Garci scandal’ and other election-related issues of the past,” she said.

“While I don’t discount the merits of a debate, I also don’t believe that the 2004 debates alone influenced the majority of the public to shift their preference and support,” she added.

“I still believe that the Filipino people know their votes for FPJ were stolen. Even Sen. Lacson, Lito’s candidate then, can tell Lito that,” she further said.

Banayo, in a press conference on Monday, mentioned Poe, Jr. when asked if the disqualification case against former Senator Bongbong Marcos would have any effect on Moreno’s campaign.

According to Banayo, FPJ’s refusal to attend debates and interviews during the May 2004 presidential campaign affected his chances to win the presidential race. Poe, Jr. lost to then incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo despite having a huge lead at the start of the campaign period.