Family of man believed to be Poe’s biological dad speaks up

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The family of a man and his son in Guimaras province, one of whom could be the biological father of Sen. Grace Poe, believes that the son was the senator’s biological father.

“They believe (the father) was too old to be (Poe’s biological father),” Guimaras Vice Gov. Vicente de Asis told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which has been keeping the names of the two men confidential on the request of their family to protect their privacy.

Quoting the brother of the younger man, De Asis said the younger man was known to visit Victoria Rodriguez, believed to be Poe’s biological mother, even at night.

Siblings of Rodriguez have claimed that Poe could be the second of Victoria’s four daughters.

They believe Poe was the baby brought to Iloilo City shortly after the senator was born in Barangay Avila in Buenavista town in Guimaras and eventually adopted by celebrity couple Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces.

The senator was reportedly abandoned and later found in the baptismal font of the Jaro Cathedral in Iloilo City in 1968. But the claim of the Rodriguez family refuted this version of events 47 years ago.

De Asis, a Poe supporter and a candidate for the congressional district seat of Guimaras in the May 2016 elections, was among those at the public cemetery in East Valencia village on Wednesday for the exhumation of the remains of Victoria and the two men.

Hired workers and family members of the deceased first exhumed the remains of Victoria then those of the two men, some 50 feet away.

Workers had difficulty digging up the remains of son who was buried in the ground and under two concrete tombs, De Asis said.

The exhumation which started around 9 a.m. lasted until early in the afternoon.

Bone samples were taken from skeletal remains before these were reburied.

The samples were taken to Manila and will be subjected to DNA testing to determine if the three are related to Poe.

The bone samples will supplement earlier samples taken from Lorena Rodriguez-De Chavez, younger sister of Victoria, and Victoria’s two other daughters Mayin, 40, and Magdalena, 38.

Victoria’s eldest child Aida earlier died of an illness.

On Tuesday, samples were also taken from six members of the Rodriguez family and three from the family of the two men.

Victoria’s siblings earlier told the INQUIRER that she earned the ire of their father Dalmacio because she bore children outside of wedlock.

One of Victoria’s siblings, Melba, married the brother of the younger man believed to be Poe’s father and even resided at the house of Dalmacio, according to De Asis.

Poe’s campaign spokesman, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, had stressed that the Rodriguez family offered to have their sister exhumed because more DNA samples were needed.

He said the Rodriguez family “offered this option because they also wanted to know the truth once and for all.”

The Commission on Elections has ordered the cancellation of Poe’s candidacy for president in next year’s elections on citizenship and residency issues.

The poll body said Poe, a foundling, has not been able to prove her claim of being a natural-born citizen, a Constitutional requirement in running for president, because she has not found her biological parents.

But the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order stopping the enforcement of Poe’s disqualification. Oral arguments on her case have been set before high court in January.  SFM