Another DQ case vs Poe filed
A fourth disqualification case has been filed against presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe before the Commission on Elections by former University of the East law dean Amado Valdez.
Valdez, in his 34-page petition, questioned Poe’s natural-born Filipino status, a requirement for any presidential bet.
“The fact that respondent has to perform an overt act to re-acquire her citizenship by filing a Petition for Re-Acquisition of Philippine citizenship under Republic Act
9225 (Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003) does not qualify her as natural-born citizen in conformity with the provisions of Article IV, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution,” Valdez said.
Valdez said under RA 9225, Poe was deemed as having “re-acquired Philippine citizenship” but “not natural-born citizenship.”
Poe said she is ready to face all the disqualification cases, even as she likened these to “unli-load” for cellular phones. Her spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian, said Poe has “met all the prerequisites in seeking the presidency.”
Gatchalian said Poe “has been domiciled in the Philippines since 2005,” and has thus “met the 10- year residency requirement.”
He also challenged Valdez’s argument that Poe has lost her natural-born Filipino status.
“The express provisions of RA 9225 substantiates the fact that she was deemed not to have lost her natural born citizenship when she reacquired her Filipino citizenship. The act of repatriation is not naturalization,” Gatchalian said.
“Like the rest of the petitions, Senator Poe will answer these suits point per point. We are ready to face all these petitions and prove them wrong,” he added.
Three other petitions were earlier filed before the Comelec by De La Salle University professor and political analyst Antonio Contreras, former senator Francisco Tatad, and lawyer Estrella Elamparo.
Poe underwent DNA tests to prove that she is a natural-born Filipino, but these turned out negative.
She reiterated, though, that her defense does not rely on the DNA tests alone but on international treaties stating that foundlings retain the citizenship of the country where they were found.