Poe’s DNA test yet to be completed a week before filing of COCs

Sen. Grace Poe sings the national anthem with mother Susan Roces and husband Neil Llamanzares. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Senator Grace Poe said her DNA test has yet to be completed as several persons are now being considered to take part in the process to find out who her biological parents are.

Poe earlier disclosed that she underwent the DNA test with possible relatives to determine her lineage and, in turn, the nationality of her parents, which could put to rest any questions on whether or not she is a natural-born Filipino.

READ: Grace Poe undergoes DNA test

The issue is the subject of a disqualification case filed against her at the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) by losing senatorial bet Rizalito David.

Until now, however, Poe said the process has yet to be completed before they find out the results of the test.

“We have not completed the process yet because there are several persons, who are being considered for testing,” the presidential aspirant said in a text message to INQUIRER.net on Wednesday.

READ: Grace Poe: DNA sample didn’t come from Marcos kin

This development comes barely a week before the start of the filing of certificate of candidacies (COCs) of those who want to run in 2016.

Senate Minority leader Juan Ponce Enrile said the citizenship issue being raised against Poe was valid.

“Well, that is a valid issue to be raised because that is a requirement. Two things, citizenship and residency, those are valid issues. So I’m sure she can answer those questions,” Enrile told reporters in an interview Wednesday.

It was the first time that the opposition leader commented on the issue since his hospital detention over the pork barrel scam.

Enrile said Poe would be disqualified from running for president if the SET rules in favor of David’s case.

“Well, if she is disqualified by the very institution set in the Constitution to make a determination that says she could not run, what is that Constitution for if you do not obey it? That is a very dangerous way of thinking about your Constitution. If you do not follow the Constitution, what else do you follow in this country? Government of men? No way,” he said.

Asked if the SET ruling in favor of the case would automatically disqualify Poe in the 2016 presidential race, Enrile said: “Natural, pareho, natural-born, natural-born. Ang age lang ang deperensya, residency and age. Forty ‘yung president at vice. Yung senador 35. Twenty-five naman ‘yung congressman. All are natural-born, although not all are patriotic. Different patriotism ‘yan.”

(Of course, both (the presidency and a seat in the Senate) require an aspirant to be natural-born. Their only difference is the age and residency requirements. A president needs to be at least 40 years old. A senator needs to be at least 35. A congressman needs to be at least 25. They should be natural-born, although not all are patriotic. That’s a different case.) IDL