SC confirms TRO vs. Poe’s disqualification in 2016 presidential polls

The Supreme Court of the Philippines building in Manila, Philippines. Photo by Mike Gonzalez / Wikimedia Commons.

MANILA – Voting 12-3, the Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday confirmed the temporary restraining orders (TRO) issued by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. Aranal Sereno in favor of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares over the disqualification cases filed against her.

The TRO was against the cancellation of the certificate of candidacy (COC) for president of Poe in the May 9, 2016 elections.

The SC en banc ordered the inclusion of the name of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares in the ballot for the presidency by confirming the stay order earlier issued in her favor.

In a press conference, SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore O. Te said that the majority of the justices confirmed the TRO issued by Chief Justice Sereno on Dec. 28, 2015.

It was argued that the merits of the case remains pending and even some of the justices who viewed that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino citizen might give a chance to Poe to be included in the ballot since it is just a TRO in her favor.

The oral arguments on these cases are set on Jan. 19, 2016 at 2 p.m. at the SC en banc Session Hall.

The SC also ordered the consolidation of the Grace Poe petitions against the Comelec decision disqualifying her to run in the May 9, 2016 presidential elections and the inhibition of the three SC justices who are members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).

Te added that the oral arguments on the case of “Rizalito David vs SET and Sen. Grace Poe”, which was previously scheduled on Jan. 19, 2016, was reset to another date to be announced later.