Poe can still appeal case, President’s office says

The Philippine presidential palace said it had no role in the national elections body’s decision to disqualify Senator Grace Poe from the presidential race, stressing the latter can still appeal her case.

“The Comelec [Commission on Elections] is an independent constitutional commission. They went through the process of confirmation. We urge everyone to respect the rule of law,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press briefing in Malacañang yesterday.

In a 34-page decision, the Comelec’s Second Division on Tuesday disqualified Poe for falling short of the required residency period in the Philippines to enable her to run for the country’s highest office.

The Comelec decision was based on a petition by a lawyer, Estrella Elamparo, who said Poe misled the electorate when she also claimed she is a natural-born Filipino.

Remedies available

Lacierda said despite a decision by the three-man Comelec 2nd division to disqualify her, Poe still has remedies available to her.

“They have an opportunity to avail of the process, exhaust all remedies available to them,” Lacierda said.

Poe, who has been leading presidential race surveys, said she would appeal before the Comelec en banc or the entire six-member panel.

Following her disqualification by the Comelec, Poe said she suspects that two of her rivals in the presidential race were behind the move to disqualify her.

“They were really bent on edging me out, that is part of their strategy,” she said, adding that those behind the move to disqualify her were those who would stand to gain from her disqualification.

She did not name who these rivals are but former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Vice-President Jejomar Binay are closely tailing her in the surveys.

Poe also said that while she had been disappointed in the decision of Comelec’s 2nd Division, “this is not the end of the process.”