Grace Poe asks SET to resolve disqualification case

The camp of Senator Grace Poe on Thursday called on the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to resolve the disqualification case filed against her despite the lack of DNA test results to bolster her claim that she is a natural-born Filipino citizen.

 

In a three-page manifestation submitted to the SET office on Thursday, Poe, through her legal counsel Alexander Poblador, formally informed the tribunal that the DNA matching done on her possible relatives yielded negative results.

 

"Respondent was hopeful that at least one of these tests would yield positive results in her personal quest to find out who her birth parents are," Poe's manifestation read. "Unfortunately, none of these tests provided results that would shed light to the real identity of Respondent’s biological parents."

 

Poe, however, maintained that despite this, she is standing by her position that she is a natural-born Filipino and therefore qualified to remain in office.

 

“What these results show is that Respondent is unrelated by blood to the tested individuals, but not that Respondent is not a Filipino,” Poe’s manifestation read.

 

Poe, who has filed her certificate of candidacy for president in the 2016 elections, said while she will continue her efforts to find her real parents, she is now resting her arguments for the tribunal’s resolution.

 

“While Respondent will continue her efforts to find personal closure with respect to this issue, and undertakes to inform this Honorable Tribunal if, and when, a positive development arises, Respondent nevertheless maintains her legal arguments found in her submission to this Honorable Tribunal, and submits the issue of her natural-born Filipino citizenship as a foundling for resolution,” Poe said in her manifestation.

 

Petition vs. Poe

 

The disqualification case against Poe was filed by radio commentator Rizalito David before SET in August.

 

In his quo warranto petition, David, a defeated senatorial candidate in the 2013 elections, seeks to unseat Poe in the Senate on the grounds that she allegedly violated Section 3, Article VI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which requires a candidate to be a natural-born Filipino citizen.

 

David pointed out that Poe, a foundling whose parents remain unknown, cannot be considered a natural-born citizen whether under local laws or even under customary international laws.

 

He also filed a disqualification case against Poe before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for her alleged “material misrepresentation” when she filed her certificate of candidacy for the 2013 senatorial elections, over same issue of claiming that she is a natural-born Filipino citizen.

 

Search for parents

 

During the oral argument of her disqualification case before SET in September, Poe’s camp informed the tribunal that she has already conducted DNA tests to verify her kinship with probable Filipino relatives.

 

Last month, Poe, the adopted daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and actress Susan Roces, asked for extension in submitting the results of the DNA tests. The tribunal granted her request and moved the deadline from October 21 to November 5.

 

On Wednesday night, before the deadline lapsed, Poe told the media that the DNA tests yielded negative results.

 

In a text message sent to reporters after he filed Poe’s manifestation, Poblador said their camp remain confident that the disqualification case will be dismissed.

 

“They do not affect our legal position that Senator Poe is a natural-born citizen under Philippine law and international law," Poblador said, referring to the DNA test results "We are therefore submitting the case for decision by the SET."

 

Poblador said more DNA tests will be done in the coming days as part of Poe’s efforts to find her parents. —KBK, GMA News