MANILA, Philippines – The petitioner in Sen. Grace Poe's disqualification case before the Commission on Elections lauded the poll body's Second Division for its decision to cancel Poe’s certificate of candidacy (COC) for president.
“I salute the Comelec for standing up for the Constitution and for having the courage and wisdom to go against what is perceived to be the public sentiment,” Poe’s petitioner, lawyer Estrella “Star” Elamparo said in a text message sent to Philstar.com.
Elamparo, former chief legal counsel of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and registered voter from Makati City, gained victory on Tuesday evening after the Comelec Second Division ruled to disqualify Poe from the presidential race. Poe failed to prove that she met the 10-year residency requirement mandated by the Constitution for a presidential candidate.
“The decision sends the message that we cannot mangle our Constitution and our laws just to accommodate somebody’s political ambition,” she said.
Elamparo’s petition, filed a day after Poe filed her COC, is only one of the four disqualification cases against Poe.
Poe is swamped by three other disqualification cases filed by former Sen. Francisco Tatad, De La Salle University Professor Antonio Contreras and former University of the East Law Dean Amado Valdez.
Last November 17, the Senate Electoral Tribunal junked the disqualification case filed by Rizalito David in a 4-3 vote. David complained of Poe’s alleged material misrepresentation in her 2013 certificate of candidacy for senator.
SET ruled that Poe is a natural-born Filipino citizen.
Poe's camp is set to file a motion for reconsideration before the Comelec en banc composed of seven commissioners including Second Division’s Presiding Commissioner Al Parreno, Commissioners Arthur Lim and Sheriff Abas who signed the decision that disqualified her.