Respect rule of law, Palace tells Grace Poe

Malacañang Palace has said Sen. Grace Poe, as someone who is seeking the highest national post in the land, should respect the rule of law and allow the judicial process to take its course regarding her disqualification from the 2016 presidential race as ruled by a division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Thursday maintained that Poe’s camp had the right to exhaust all legal remedies available to appeal their case.

“I think as a candidate running for national elections, it is important for us to respect the rule of law. These are institutions ordained by the Constitution and (it) was ratified by the people. So, we can only ask everyone, all the candidates, to please respect the process and respect the rule of law,” Lacierda told reporters in a press briefing.

“I do not mean just Sen. Grace Poe, (but for) everyone who feels aggrieved, (they can) always exhaust the legal remedies available to them. There’s a process involved, there’s still an appeals procedure … And always foremost amongst everyone else is really to respect the rule of law,” he added.

READ: Palace denies hand in Poe’s DQ: ‘Comelec is independent’ | Palace: It’s Grace Poe’s right to appeal disqualification

Reacting to Poe’s statement that two of her rivals, administration bet Mar Roxas and opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay, were behind efforts to stop her presidential bid over questions in residency and citizenship, Lacierda reiterated that the ruling Liberal Party sought her as vice presidential bet and as guest senatorial candidate in 2013.

“I don’t know the basis of Senator Grace Poe’s allegation … We, in fact, wanted her to be part of the Daang Matuwid coalition … there was an issue raised by some people, the issue was decided by an independent constitutional commission. So I have no answer beyond saying that: Let us respect the rule of law,” he said.

READ: Poe says Roxas, Binay behind disqualification move | Escudero traces anti-Poe lawyer to Roxas camp | Anti-Poe lawyer denies LP link, calls allegations ‘senseless, non-issue’

Responding to allegations that the administration was resorting to black propaganda to eliminate rivals in next year’s polls, Lacierda said LP would not benefit from a dirty elections, adding it also wanted Poe’s case to be resolved for the interest of Filipino voters.

“I believe it is in the interest of all parties concerned to have this matter resolved, not just for Senator Grace Poe, (but also) for all parties involved including the Filipino people. It’s in our interest to see this case resolved,” Lacierda said.

“It does not serve anyone’s purpose if the elections are not honest, are not credible. It is to our interest that the Comelec must make sure and ensure that elections are credible and honest. That is the mandate of the Comelec and I think all of us would agree that it is important that our elections are clean. I don’t see any reason why we would not want to have clean and honest elections,” he added.

READ: Comelec 2^nd division disqualifies Grace Poe from presidential race

The Comelec’s second division on Tuesday ruled to cancel Poe’s COC for president amid questions on her citizenship and residency. The senator hinted that two of her presidential rivals, Roxas and opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay, were behind efforts to disqualify her from the race to Malacañang.

Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars Susan Roces and Fernando Poe Jr., previously renounced her Filipino citizenship to work in the United States. She returned to the Philippines and renounced her American citizenship after being appointed chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board in 2010. She had repeatedly said she had fulfilled the 10-year residency requirement when she returned to the country after the death of her adoptive father in 2004. RC

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