(Facebook photos)
President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that he would want Senator Grace Poe to be the Philippine president someday unless there will be an exemption in the constitution allowing a foundling to run for the presidency.
The chief executive recalled the decision of the Supreme Court in 2016 that Poe is a natural-born Filipino, and said that he is not in favor with the decision of the court.
“But I like Grace Poe to be President someday if the requirement remains to be same. But, I said, I think we will amend the Constitution and make that exemption, na ‘yung [that] foundling are already qualified,” Duterte said at the birthday party of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation president Alfredo Lim in Cavite.
“Eh pabalik-balik ‘yan sa (It has been repeated in) law school. Kami [We], only to be interpreted of incorporating a treaty and overruling a strict, I said, a poignant one because you must be a citizen out… inside and out of your mother’s womb,” Duterte said.
“Kasi kung wala kang (Because if you have no) known father or mother, you are a foundling, and then you cannot really say with certainty now that you are a natural-born citizen. ‘Yun lang po (That’s all). I disagreed with the Supreme Court,” he added.
Duterte said that the SC decision allowing Poe to run prompted him to run for the president of the country.