Battle of American advisers

There are two conflicting rumors about the results of the disqualification case against Sen. Grace Poe pending in the Supreme Court.

One says the high tribunal has voted to disqualify Poe because she is not a natural born citizen and that she lacks the 10-year residency requirement.

The citizenship and residency requirements were cited by the Commission on Elections in disqualifying the neophyte senator from running for President, the reason Poe has elevated her case to the high tribunal.

The other rumor has it Poe already has the number of justices voting in her favor and that the decision to make her run in the presidential election on May 9 will be announced soon.

Why is the Supreme Court taking its own sweet time deciding on the landmark case and holding the citizenry in suspense?

Is it so difficult for the honorable justices to reach a decision?

The sooner the decision is out, the better for the Supreme Court’s integrity.

There are speculations that the administration, invoking the Pinoy’s concept of “utang na loob” (gratitude), is pressuring justices appointed by President B.S. Aquino to decide to disqualify Poe.

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Is it true the administration party hired the services of an American who happens to be an official of Smartmatic?

Smartmatic machines will be used in the upcoming presidential election.

The American, this columnist was told, is a “bad, bad boy.”

Smartmatic machines, which will be used in the counting of ballots, can be manipulated, according to highly reliable sources.

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The presidential election is going to be a battle of American advisers hired by various camps.

Here are the names of the American advisers, but I won’t tell you whose camp they’re working for: Mark Malloch Brown, Paul Bograd and Mark Mehlman.

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Rogelio Nastor Ramos, 74, a US citizen, was supposed to return home to Seattle, Washington last month when he was prevented from boarding his plane by immigration agents at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The reason: he has a namesake who has a pending warrant of arrest.

Despite his protests, saying it was a case of mistaken identity, Ramos was initially held by immigration authorities before he was taken to airport police headquarters where he was grilled.

Ramos was brought to a nearby hospital after his blood pressure shot up.

He was released from police custody after he hired a lawyer who vouched for his appearance in court.

Ramos had one of his relatives go to Santiago, Isabela province where his namesake is facing charges in court.

The other Rogelio Nastor Ramos, who’s not in any way related to the septuagenarian, is 26 years old and has been charged with cell phone theft.

The 74-year-old Ramos, who owns a farm in Seattle—which he tills with his sons—has been a US citizen since 1982 after migrating there from Nueva Vizcaya province.

He has all the documents to prove he is not the Ramos facing a criminal case in court.

Since Feb. 8, 2016, when he was prevented by immigration agents from returning to the United States, Ramos has not left.

He’s booked on Asiana Airlines but all its flights to Seattle are full until the end of March.

Ramos wants to go home because his family and farm are waiting for him.

The Bureau of Immigration should do everything to get Ramos on a plane headed home immediately since it appears its people  made a  mistake.