Serge Osmeña: Poe by a nose at SET

Sen. Serge Osmeña believes Sen. Grace Poe will win a favorable decision in her disqualification case before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) “by a narrow margin.”

“If I look at the composition [of the SET], I’d say the numbers would be in favor of Poe by a narrow margin but (my analysis) is a secret,” Osmeña told reporters on Thursday in reply to a question on whether Poe would get the needed votes with the composition of the nine-member tribunal.

The SET is chaired by Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and has as members Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Arturo Brion and six senators—Tito Sotto, Loren Legarda, Cynthia Villar, Pia Cayetano, Bam Aquino and Nancy Binay.

The tribunal is looking into the question of Poe’s citizenship.

Early this week, Carpio said Poe was not a natural-born Filipino unless she could prove blood relations to biological Filipino parents.

On the fact that six senators sit on the SET, Osmeña said: “These six politicians have their beliefs, their interests and so you can’t discount that it might be a political decision.”

He said the composition of the SET was “favorable” to Poe and this would mean a “favorable” decision for her.

But even if Poe wins the case at the SET, Osmeña said the complainant, former senatorial candidate Rizalito David, is expected to appeal in the Supreme Court.