Poe to SC: Allow people to choose next president
Senator Grace Poe expressed hope on Monday that the Supreme Court would allow the people to choose their next leader.
“Sa ating mga kababayan, kami po ay patuloy na nananalangin at kumpiyansa sapagkat sa mga narinig natin doon sa Supreme Court justice mismo—Chief Justice—ang sabi niya ang mga Pilipino, mga batang nadampot, dapat ‘yan talaga mayroon naman ‘yang karapatan sa ating bansa,” Poe said in an interview in Butuan City.
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“So malalaman na po natin, bukas mayroon silang en banc. Sabi nila itong linggo na ito magkakaroon na ng desisyon. E salamat naman para magkaalaman na rin tayo,” she said.
The SC will have an en banc session on Tuesday and is expected to release this week a decision on the disqualification cases against Poe over her citizenship and residency.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: DQ of Grace Poe ‘won’t be a surprise’ | Grace Poe dismisses talk she will be DQ’d
Article continues after this advertisement“Para sa akin naman isang pangarap ko talaga ang mapabuti ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan. Sana naman mabigyan tayo ng pagkakataon,” the senator said.
“Hinihiling ko sa Korte Suprema na sana pagbigyan ang taumbayan ang mamili kung sino ang karapat-dapat para sa kanila,” Poe added.
Senate President Franklin Drilon reiterated his call for the SC to immediately decide on the issue, saying its pendency would also be unfair for Poe.
“Sa akin tama iyan, sa lalong madaling panahon – ang balita ko bukas at sana nga ay mailabas nila bukas dahil hindi fair kay Senator Grace Poe na mabinbin itong kasong ito,” Drilon, vice chair of the Liberal Party (LP), said in an interview over Bombo Radyo.
“Kung siya po ay qualified, sana ay mailabas na ang desisyon para wala nang duda. Kung siya naman ay kulang sa residency at hindi natural born, aba’y dapat sabihin na agad in fairness to our people and para ang integridad ng ating halalan ay manatili,” the Senate leader added.
LP is rooting for Poe’s rival, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.