Guimaras folk not Grace Poe’s kin, DNA test reveals

Senator Grace Poe. FACEBOOK PHOTO

PANGASINAN, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe bared on Friday that the DNA tests that she undertook with her supposed family from Gumaras, Iloilo yielded a negative result.

“Yung mga succeeding ones from the family of Lorena hindi rin nag-match sa ngayon,” Poe told Manila-based reporters here.

(The succeeding ones from the family of Lorena did not match.)

She was referring to her supposed aunt, Lorena Rodriguez-Dechavez, who had approached her when she was in Iloilo. Dechavez and her kin offered to have DNA tests with the senator and even allowed the exhumation of her father’s body to determine if they were related to Poe.

READ: Guimaras family may be Grace Poe’s kin

“Pero hindi naman kami nawawalan ng pag-asa sapagkat unang-una ang aming argument sa Korte Suprema ay hindi nakabase sa DNA. Ito’y nakabase sa mga karapatan ng mga batang napulot na magkaroon ng estado sa bansang ito,” she said.

(We are not losing hope because our argument at the Supreme Court is not based on DNA, but on the right of foundlings to not be stateless in this country.)

Besides, Poe said, there are other individuals who have approached her to take other tests. She said at least three individuals have so far approached her.

“Nakakalungkot, pero meron pa rin kasing mga iba nag submit ng tests (It’s saddening, but there are still others who want to get tested),” she said.

“Kahit hindi naman natuloy ‘yun, hindi naman ‘yun ang basehan ng aming argumento sa Korte Suprema. Talagang hindi man matukoy ang mga kadugo ng (aking) mga magulang, ang importante ay magkaroon ng pagkilala sa mga batang pulot sa ating bansa,” she said in a separate interview.

(Even if it did not the produce the result we expected, it is not the basis of our argument at the Supreme Court. Even if I would not be able to determine the relatives of my parents, the important thing is for the rights of the foundlings in this country to be recognized.)

READ: Grace Poe: Every foundling has right to dream

Poe was found in a church in Iloilo when she was a baby and was later adopted by popular actors, the late Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces.

She described her long search for her biological parents an “emotional roller coaster,” especially when all the results of the DNA tests that she undertook with different individuals did not match with hers.

“Parang emotional roller coaster; parang umaasa ka, tapos hindi, umaasa ka tapos hindi,” she said.

(It’s an emotional roller coaster; one moment you are hoping, only for the results to quell that.)

Despite this, Poe said she is more confident now that the Supreme Court, which is deliberating on the disqualification cases against her, would favor foundlings like her.

Poe’s being a foundling was one of the subjects of a quo warranto petition filed against her seeking to unseat her as senator and in the disqualification cases at the Commission on Elections. The Comelec later canceled her certificate of candidacy for president because of questions hounding her citizenship and residency.

The two cases are now the subject of the ongoing oral arguments at the Supreme Court.

“Siguro mas kumpiyansa ako sa posisyon sa Korte Suprema kasi nakikita rin ng iba nating mga mahistrado na ang laban na ito ay hindi lamang tungkol sa akin,” said the senator.

(I am more confident in my status at the Supreme Court because other justices see that this fight is not just about me.)

“Pasensya na po sa mga ibang kandidato na nagsasabi na ma-drama ang buhay ko. Kasi, totoong buhay ito, at totoong ma-drama ang buhay ng marami nating kababayan; kung ‘yung sa akin ay dahil napulot ako, ‘yung iba naman dahil mahirap sila, o ‘yung iba ay hindi sila kinikilala ng kanilang mga magulang bagamat kilala nila.”

(To my rivals who say that my life is dramatic, excuse me. This is reality, and it is a fact that the lives of most of our fellow Filipinos are dramatic too; if mine is dramatic because I am a foundling, the lives of others are dramatic because they are poor or are not recognized by their own parents.)

“Ako nga ay nagpapasalamat sapagkat nabigyan ng oportunidad ng dalawang taong totoong nagmahal sa akin. Sana naman huwag naman nilang walain ang karapatan ng bawat mamamayang Pilipinong umasa at mangarap na manilbihan ng tapat sa ating bayan,” Poe added.

(I am grateful because I was given an opportunity by two people who truly love me. Let’s not disregard the rights of every Filipino who expects and wishes to serve our country.) IDL