Grace Poe hopeful SC will swiftly uphold her

Sen. Grace Poe INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

SEN. GRACE Poe is optimistic that the Supreme Court will act swiftly on the petition against her disqualification by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and will allow her to run for President in 2016.

Poe’s lawyer will file the petition challenging the Comelec decision tomorrow.

Poe assured a group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong that she remains in the running as the disqualification process has not taken its full course.

Poe met the group of OFWs belonging to the group Migrante while on a Christmas holiday.

“I know you hear the stories and think that Senator Poe has been disqualified. In truth, the Comelec has disqualified me but we have a process to follow up to the Supreme Court,” she told the OFWs in a speech recorded on video by her daughter Hanna.

In a separate statement issued Saturday, Poe said she was confident that the Supreme Court would take her side on the issue.

“We are confident that, giving due consideration to the strong evidence, jurisprudence and pertinent principles and precepts, the justices will uphold our cause and the right of the people to a genuine choice in the elections,” she said.

The Supreme Court is on recess until Jan. 10, but rules allow the Chief Justice to act on urgent cases without holding a session of the justices.

Any issuance of a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order must be confirmed by majority of the magistrates when sessions resume.

Poe said she would continue her fight to ensure there would be democratic elections.

“Let us fight for genuine democratic elections, where Filipinos are allowed to choose their leaders. The ambitions of a few should never be allowed to subvert the will of the majority,” she said.

The Comelec said Poe could not run for President because she was not a natural-born Filipino citizen on account of being a foundling and she did not meet the 10-year residency requirement.

In her meeting with the OFWs, Poe expressed her gratitude to the OFWs, saying the Philippine economy would have collapsed if not for them.

She also bared her plans to improve their plight.

Her goal is to work for genuine change and to provide enough opportunities for Filipinos so that they would not need to work overseas if they don’t want to, she said.

“You can be assured that not only will I not steal, but all the earnings of the government, every cent should be spent for the benefit of our people,” she said.

She said she would see to it that they would pay lower fees, and would fast track the processes they have to endure before working abroad by putting up a one-stop shop for their needs. She also promised to provide them with health benefits.

She said she knows the sacrifices the OFWs have made, including remaining abroad while their families are celebrating the holidays back home, noting that she herself lived overseas for a long time.