Poe hopes Sereno view on foundlings would inspire SC justices
Senator Grace Poe. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
Presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe expressed hope on Wednesday that Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno’s strong position on the rights of foundlings like her would ring “loud and clear” not only to the public, but also to other Supreme Court justices, who will make a final decision whether or not she is qualified to run for president in May.
“We take refuge in the statement of Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno fighting hard for the rights of foundlings like me. It rings loud and clear that the right of foundlings to a nationality will just be an empty rhetoric unless the government accords it due respect and take measures to implement this right,” Poe said in a text message to reporters.
“I hope that the public and those who will make a final judgment on my case will see things in this light,” she added.
READ: Grace Poe: Every foundling has right to dream
Poe issued the statement when sought for comment on the Chief Justice’s warning that disqualifying her from the presidential race for being a foundling could set a dangerous precedent and would have dire consequences if upheld by the Supreme Court.
READ: Sereno fights for foundlings
“If you’re saying that foundlings are not natural-born citizens, have you thought about the impact on the rights of all foundlings?” Sereno asked Commission on Elections (Comelec) member Arturo Lim during the SC’s third oral arguments on the disqualification cases filed against the lady senator.
“The court now has to categorically answer the question about her (Poe’s) status, because the pronouncements we will make will affect so many others,” the Chief Justice added.
Poe’s being a foundling was one of the two subjects of the cases against her. The other issue was her alleged failure to meet the 10-year residency requirement for candidates running for president.
Found in a church Iloilo when she was a baby, the lady senator was later adopted by the late action king, Fernando Poe Jr., and veteran actress Susan Roces. IDL
