Senator JV Ejercito. Screengrabbed from INQUIRER.net video
An allied senator of Vice President Jejomar Binay came to the defense of Senator Grace Poe amid questions over her being a natural-born Filipino.
“Whoever is behind this below the belt personality attack against Senator Poe stating that she is not a real daughter of FPJ (Fernando Poe Jr.) is inhuman,” Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, a member of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), said in a text message on Thursday.
“It is a common knowledge that Senator Grace is an adopted daughter of FPJ and Susan Roces, and I cannot understand why it is being raised as an issue against Poe,” Ejercito said.
READ: A ‘foundling’: UNA claims new dope on Poe
“Mabuti na ang ampon na itinataguyod ang karangalan ng kanyang mga itinuturing na magulang sa pamamagitan ng paglilingkod ng mabuti sa mga kababayan kumpara sa mga tunay na anak na sinira ang mabuting karangalan ng kanilang mga magulang,” he added.
(It’s better to be adopted and raised by one’s adoptive parents through dedicated public service than to be a legitimate child who destroys his or her parents’ reputation.)
Ejercito is half-brother of detained Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada , who has been charged with plunder and detained over the alleged “pork barrel” scam.
Poe’s citizenship has been brought up in the media amid her possible entry in the 2016 presidential race. But Poe has repeatedly said that she has not made a decision yet whether or not to run for a higher post next year. IDL
READ: Grace Poe: I’m qualified