Poe saddened exhumation of bodies needed to prove ‘natural-born’ status

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe was “saddened” that the remains of her possible biological parents had to be exhumed just to prove her status as a natural-born Filipino and hurdle legal obstacles to her presidential bid, her spokesperson said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian confirmed that the bodies of the members of Rodriguez clan in Guimaras province had been exhumed in a bid to get DNA samples from them.

But he clarified that the Rodriguez clan had only been communicating with Poe’s lawyers and not directly with her.

“I am saddened that it had to come to this just to prove my citizenship,” Gatchalian quoted Poe as saying.

Mayor Gatchalian said members of the Rodriguez family came up to Poe during her latest visit in Iloilo and told her that they could be her missing kin.

Gatchalian said the clan members “offered for the exhumation of the bodies of Senator Poe’s supposed biological parents.”

“The Rodriguez family offered this option because they also wanted to know the truth once and for all,” he said. “Throughout this interaction, the Rodriguez family was making arrangements with the lawyers of Senator Poe and not Senator Poe herself.”

He said Poe’s counsels “made arrangements for DNA samples to be taken” from the remains of her possible parents.

A forensic pathologist hired by Poe’s camp “needed more DNA samples,” he added.

Poe, the adopted daughter of the late action superstar Fernando Poe Jr. and veteran actress Susan Roces, had been disqualified by the Commission on Elections for her failure to prove that she was a natural-born citizen and for not meeting the 10-year residency requirement for those running for President.

However, the Supreme Court issued two temporary restraining orders stopping the election body from implementing its two separate decisions disqualifying Poe from the presidential race.  SFM