Petitioner: Comelec ruling should make Poe rethink bid

MANILA, Philippines – One of the petitioners in Sen. Grace Poe’s disqualification case before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said the en banc’s ruling to disqualify Poe is enough for her to rethink her presidential bid.

Lawyer Estrella Elamparo, former chief legal counsel of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), made the statement following the Comelec en banc’s recent decision to uphold the rulings of its First and Second Divisions canceling Poe’s presidential candidacy.

“The decision should be enough to make respondent rethink her misguided quest for the presidency,” Elamparo said in a text message to Philstar.com.

Elamparo lauded the poll body for its decision, saying it is an example a ruling based on value of evidence presented in the case.

“The ruling is a shining example of how a tribunal should decide solely on the basis of the merits of the case with regard to public sentiment on the pressure. It confirms the strength of Comelec as an institution,” the petitioner said.

On her Facebook account, Elamparo also reacted to reports that Poe expected the full Comelec ruling. She said if Poe’s camp is ready then they should have prepared a draft of the petition to be submitted before the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.

Elamparo noted that Poe’s camp was fortunate to have receive an advance notice of the disqualification ruling.

“She said she expected the Comelec en banc ruling. If that were the case, then her lawyers should already have a prepared draft of the petition for filing with the Supreme Court today,” Elamparo said.

“Instead of complaining about the timing of the ruling and how five days [are] too short a period to seek relief from the SC, her lawyers should have totally prepared for this scenario. In fact, they were lucky to have had advance notice of the ruling yesterday,” she added.