Supporters of Senator Grace Poe on protest in front of Palacio Del Gobernador in Intramuros, Wednesday. (UNTV News)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe’s supporters gathered in front of the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila, Wednesday morning, as a sign of protest to the ruling of the COMELEC’s second division cancelling the senator’s certificate of candidacy and denying her the chance to run for president.
Yesterday the second division of COMELEC granted the petition of Attorney Estrella Elamparo that seeks to deny due course or cancel Poe’s COC for failing to meet the 10-year residency requirement for a presidential candidate.
However, the group is not in favor of the decision insisting that Poe has been in the country since May 2005.
Kabataan Poe Vice Chairman Dan Remo said, “Itong mga kasamahan natin kusang pumunta dito dahil hindi sila pumapayag na yung kanilang karapatan na pumili nang malaya at isang demokratikong presidente ay pinipilit tanggalin ng tatlong tao. Parang hindi yata tama yun.”
(We came here on our own because we are against this move to deprive us of our right to freely choose a president because of the three persons that wish to remove her from the list. That is not right.)
The senator’s camp is set to file a motion for reconsideration before the COMELEC En Banc.
Poe’s supporters are hoping to get a reversal of the decision and the senator be allowed to run for president.
COMELEC targets to come up with an official list of candidates by December 15.
COMELEC Spokesman James Jimenez said, once the list is finalized there will be no more additions to it.
However a candidate, who has the same situation as Poe, can still be included in the list if his or her disqualification case has not ended up yet in a final decision.
COMELEC Spokesperson Director James Jimenez explained, “Kapag nakapag-file ng COC at hindi nadisqualify or hindi na cancel with finality kung may mga pending motions, usually papasok yan, isasama yan. Bakit? Kasi, again, what if the ruling turns out to be in favour of the person you took out of the ballot? That will be a more unjust situation kasi nanalo naman siya, pwede naman siya tapos bakit wala siya sa balota. It’s easier to handle the situation when nasa balota siya pero hindi pala siya dapat nandoon kasi ang gagawin mo doon i-count mo as stray yung boto niya essentially.”
(If someone files a COC and is not yet disqualified with finality, if there are pending motions, usually they are included. Why? Because what if the ruling turns out to be in favor of the person you took out of the ballot? That will be a more unjust situation if he or she turns out is qualified but is not in the ballot. It’s easier to handle the situation when their names are there when it should not. What you do is count the votes as stray votes essentially.)
However an urgent motion was filed by Atty Elamparo asking COMELEC not to include Poe’s name in the ballot.
Aside from Elamparo’s petition, three more petitions against Poe’s presidential bid is being handled by COMELEC’s 1st division.
These are the petition for disqualification filed by former Senator Kit Tatad and the petitions to deny due course of cancel COC filed by Proffesor Antonio Contreras and Atty. Amado Valdez.
Earlier, Tatad’s lawyer filed their memorandum and offer of evidence.
Atty. Manuelito Luna said, “We are pretty confident that the 1st division will also side with us not because the 2nd division has already ruled against her but because of the superiority of the argument that we have presented.”
The 1st division gave the parties up until December 3 to file their memorandum and after which the cases will be submitted for resolution. (VICTOR COSARE / UNTV News)
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