MANILA – Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said she was not surprised with the decision of the Commission on Election (Comelec) en banc that upheld the ruling of its two divisions disqualifying the lady senator from running for president in 2016 polls.
“It was expected and I remain undaunted by it. I am a Filipino and qualified to offer myself as President of our country. The COMELEC cannot change that much less deprive our people of their right to choose our next leader,” Poe said in a press statement.
Poe vowed to follow the process, saying she would elevate her disqualification in the Supreme Court (SC) as “the next and final battleground.”
“I am hopeful and confident that our magistrates, based on jurisprudence and precedents, will be objective and fair in their discernment of my case and, in the end, will let the Filipino people decide who our next president will be,” Poe said.
“Until the high tribunal’s final ruling is out, I remain a candidate for President of the Filipino people,” she added.
According to the reports, the Comelec in full session has voted to uphold the rulings of the First and Second Divisions disqualifying Poe on the ground of her citizenship and 10-year residency.
Poe’s spokesman Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian maintained that Poe is a natural-born Filipino and has met the 10-year residency requirement.