MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – February 8 marks the Chinese New Year in the Philippines, where it is a national holiday.  It ushers in the Year of the Monkey.

Of the five major Philippine presidential candidates, one — Senator Grace Poe — was born in the Year of the Monkey (1968). Specifically, Poe is an Earth monkey whose qualities include being frank, optimistic and fearless — all great qualities for a Filipino head of state.

But alas, the year 2016 — the year of the presidential elections — is believed by many to be an unlucky year for people born in a Monkey year like Poe.

But there are things that Poe and her campaign can do to turn the year from unlucky to lucky, according to Chinese zodiac experts:

1. Poe must always wear red.  Luckily for her, she is not running under the banner of the Yellow Party.  She may have already aborted a misfortune by declining President Aquino’s Liberal Party’s invitation for her to be the vice presidential running mate of former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.  Red is one of the lucky colors for people born in a Monkey year.

2. Poe must always wear jade. We have seen her wear pearl jewelry and accessories on many occasions.  She must now set aside all her pearl and other jewelry in favor of jade pendants, earrings, rings and bracelets. Jade is known to ward off bad luck.

3. Poe must constantly face in the opposite direction that is dictated by Tai Sui. Tai Sui (Chinese: 太歲; pinyin: Tàisuì) refers to stars directly opposite to Jupiter. They influence the Chinese zodiac, and are involved in religious Taoism and Feng Shui. For those born in Monkey years, facing Southwest can bring them bad luck.  So Poe must face in the Northeast direction which happens to be close to where Malacañang Palace is.

So there you go, Madam Senator:  three simple rules to follow that could lead you on the path to Malacañang.

Already, Poe has regained the top spot among presidential contenders, based on the results of the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia Research, Incorporated released on Saturday, February 6. A good omen?

To all our readers, Gung Hay Fat Choy!  Happy New Year!