Comelec to Poe: Answer David case

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finally ordered the camp of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares to answer the disqualification petition lodged against her by fellow presidential candidate, Rizalito David.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the poll body’s Law Department has already released a subpoena asking Poe to submit her counter-affidavit.

However, the issuance of the subpoena will not mandate Poe to appear before Comelec during the submission process, said Bautista.

“The subpoena will only require her to file a counter-affidavit,” he said.

The Comelec chief issued the clarification after Manuel Luna, the legal counsel of David, announced earlier that Poe will already be expected to appear at the preliminary investigation of the Comelec Law Department for the disqualification case on November 3.

Poe may still be required to appear during the probe depending on the content of her counter-affidavit.

In his complaint, David alleged that Poe had violated Section 262 in relation to Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code when she joined the senatorial race during the 2013 polls.

He claimed Poe wrongfully declared in her certificate of candidacy (COC), that she has already complied with the necessary residency and natural-born Filipino citizen requirement to run as senator during the 2013 elections.

The COC is considered a sworn statement for people seeking to be elected to public office under Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code.