The decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) on the disqualification case against Senator Grace Poe will not automatically stop her presidential run in 2016, a member-senator said on Monday.
Senator Bam Aquino III explained that the disqualification case filed at the SET by defeated senatorial bet Rizalito David against Poe was about her being a senator, and not about her presidential bid.
Aquino, a member of the 9-man tribunal, issued this clarification when asked during an interview at the Senate if the decision of the SET on the case could be used at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
“Hindi sya pwedeng gamitin (sa PET) per se but it does serve judicial notice. Ang ibig sabihin nun and we clarified na pag nag-decision dito kailangang i-consider pero hindi necessarily na yun yung given na magiging decision din,” he said.
(It cannot be used in PET per se but it does serve judicial notice. This means, and we’ve clarified, that a decision (by SET) should be considered but it does not necessarily follow it would be PET’s given decision.)
“Iba po yung SET, iba yung PET, iba yung sa Comelec (Commission on Elections), iba din yung sa Supreme Court. These are all different bodies. And we need to remember yung naka-file (na kaso) ni David against Senator Grace is regarding her being a senator, not about her running for president so klaruhin natin yun,” the senator added.
(SET, PET, Comelec, and even the Supreme Court, each will have its own decision. These are different bodies. And we need to remember that the case filed by David is regarding Poe’s being a senator, not about her running for president.)
Asked if the SET’s ruling on David’s case would have an automatic effect on Poe’s qualifications to seek the presidency, Aquino said: “Hindi sya necessary automatic.”
“Because iba yung cause of action but what our decision does serve is judicial notice,” he further explained.
The same applies, he said, when the case is elevated at the Supreme Court.
Aquino said he expects that Poe’s camp would bring the issue before the SC if the SET decides in favor of the petition.
“If she’s disqualified, most likely they will raise it to the Supreme Court and then that’s a case for being a senator. So iba rin yung pagtakbo bilang presidente,” he further added. AU
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