Life story, dad's legacy lifts candidate

Her life story could have come straight out of a soap opera. As a newborn, Grace Poe was abandoned in a Catholic church and adopted by movie star parents, giving her a powerful narrative and name that have helped catapult her to front-runner in the Philippine presidential race.

A political newcomer, elected to the Senate just three years ago, Poe has promised to cut taxes, fight crime and offer free kindergarten-to-college education for the poor. But it is the popularity of her late father, regarded as the king of Philippine movies, and her humble beginnings that appeal to the masses in this country where presidents have traditionally come from the landed gentry and political elite.

Powerful opponents