Comelec gives Poe 10 more days

Senator Grace Poe. FILE PHOTO

THE CAMP of presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe on Monday asked and received a 10-day extension of the deadline in the filing of her response to the three disqualification cases lodged against her in the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“Due to numerous cases of equal importance that need immediate attention and pleading preparations, we decided (with the conformity of our client) to request the Comelec law department for an extension of time to file our counter affidavit,” Poe’s lawyer George Garcia said.

In a statement, Garcia said their request for extension was “never intended to delay the proceedings but solely for the purpose for which the same was made.”

“We were informed by the hearing officer that a 10-day extension period will be granted from Nov. 3 to Nov. 13,” Garcia added.

The Comelec is hearing three disqualification cases against Poe, who is leading presidential surveys for next year’s elections. Two of the cases question her Filipino citizenship, while the third claims she does not meet the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidate.

The Comelec earlier said it hoped to resolve all the cases filed against Poe by December at the latest.

It will also need to resolve a prejudicial question as to whether the agency should still take action on the complaints, considering a separate case against Poe is pending in the Senate Electoral Tribunal.

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