Palace backs Comelec’s new citizenship requirement for bets

MANILA, Philippines - Amid questions on the citizenship of presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe, Malacañang supports the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to require candidates in the 2016 polls to declare if they have renounced their foreign citizenship.

“There are requirements for a person who wants to serve in government and (these) have been explained by the Supreme Court (SC),” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said yesterday.

“A candidate should declare ‘I executed a sworn renunciation of foreign citizenship’,”Comelec Resolution 9989 stated.

The Comelec cited Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 and the Aug. 18 ruling of the SC in the Arnado versus Comelec case.