Who would Grace Poe vote for if she is disqualified?

Presidential Candidate Grace Poe gestures during a visit with the Inquirer reporters and editors at the PDI office in Makati City. JILSON SECKLER TIU / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

BATAC, Ilocos Norte — Senator Grace Poe expressed optimism on Thursday that a “successful outcome” in her candidacy was “not beyond reach.”

Poe made the remark when a student of the Mariano Marcos State University here asked a hypothetical question as to who she would vote for president in case she is disqualified from the presidential race.

“For your first hypothetical question and I’d lie to stress, very hypothetical because I’d like to remain optimistic and I feel that it’s not beyond reach that we will actually have a successful outcome in this candidacy,” she said.

“My answer would be, your question is who will I vote for, will I vote and will I vote for? Ok, karapatan ng bawat Filipino ang mamili kung sino ang nararapat na mamuno sa kanila. Sa araw lamang ng halalan tayo ay tunay na pantay-pantay na bawat isa sa atin mayaman man o mahirap isa lang ang boto kung hindi dadayain.”

“So sa tanong mo, sino ang aking pipiliin. Una , ang boto ay sagrado kaya kung ano man yun ikikimkim ko,” Poe said, drawing cheers from the students.

“Pangalawa, ayoko kasing magsabi e, baka mamaya matuwa masyado mas lalo akong I-DQ …so huwag na lang,” she added.

Poe’s optimism was further bolstered by Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza’s opinion during the oral arguments last week that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) might have “crossed the line” when it cancelled the senator’s certificate of candidacy for president because of her citizenship and residency.

The senator said she was “very grateful” that some members of the high tribunal were beginning to see what they had long been saying that the Comelec turned a blind eye on the evidence that they had submitted to support her case.

“Sana sa pagkakataon na ito ay tuloy tuloy na nga na magiging patas at makataraungan ang ating Korte Suprema. Sa ngayon naman, nakikita natin na ganun,” Poe added.

Jardeleza was the third justice to back Poe’s claim that a foundling like her should be considered a natural-born Filipino and therefore, qualified to run for president.

READ: Another justice backs Poe’s plea for foundlings

The Supreme Court is still deliberating on two petitions: one seeks to reverse the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s decision against a quo warranto petition that seeks to unseat Poe as senator because of citizenship, and the senator’s own petition, seeking to reverse the Comelec’s disqualification ruling against her.

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