Palace denies hands in SC decision in favor of Poe

The Malacañang Palace (Facebook photo)

MANILA—Malacanang on Wednesday denied allegation that it prodded the Supreme Court (SC) to decide in favor of independent presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe.

”That’s not true. It’s irresponsible allegation,” Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message to the Malacanang media.

Rizalito David, a 2013 losing senatorial candidate, claimed that the Palace helped Poe to get favorable SC ruling to make sure that Poe’s votes will not go to opposition candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay should Poe has been disqualified in the May 9 polls.

David was the one who filed a petition at the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to disqualify Poe as senator and another petition at the SC to disqualify Poe as presidential candidate.

The SET eventually junked David’s petition and only last Tuesday, the SC also declared Poe as qualified to run for president via a 9-6 vote.

David also filed candidacy for president but declared by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as one of the nuisance candidate.

In December last year, the critics accused Malacanang as behind the disqualification case against Poe, an allegation that was denied by the Palace.

President Benigno Aquino III has endorsed the candidacy of former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas of the ruling Liberal Party (LP).