1-Bap Representative Silvestre Bello III (right). NESTOR CORRALES/黑料社
A former Justice secretary-turned-lawmaker urged Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio to inhibit from the citizenship issue of Senator Grace Poe.
1-Bap Representative Silvestre Bello III, in a press conference at the House of Representatives Tuesday, said Carpio should inhibit himself from the case to avoid being a 鈥渟uspect of partiality.鈥�
Carpio is the chairman of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) hearing the citizenship case filed by Rizalito David against Poe.
Belo said Carpio is associated with Avelino 鈥淣onong鈥� Cruz, the lawyer of resigned Interior Secretary and administration presidential bet Manuel 鈥淢ar鈥� Roxas II.
Carpio and Cruz founded one of the country鈥檚 most powerful law firms, CVC Law, also known as 鈥淭he Firm.鈥�
Roxas, who was earlier endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III as the administration鈥檚 standard-bearer, is running against Poe in 2016.
Bello said Carpio should inhibit 鈥渙ut of decency鈥� because whatever his decision, it would be 鈥渟uspect of partiality.鈥�
鈥淭his is a very crucial issue because it involves a presidentiable,鈥� Bello said.
During the oral arguments on Monday, Carpio said Poe is a naturalized Filipino and not a natural-born Filipino unless she could prove blood relations to Filipino parents.
The Associate Justice said that Poe, a foundling, whose biological parents are unknown, may be considered a Filipino citizen under international law but only with a 鈥渘aturalized鈥� status.
READ: Carpio: Poe must prove she鈥檚 natural-born Filipino
But Bello disagreed to Carpio鈥檚 statement, saying naturalization involves judicial and administrative processes.
Meanwhile, Liberal Party (LP) stalwart and Caloocan City Representative Edgar Erice said the LP believes that Poe is a natural-born Filipino.
鈥淎s far as the LP is concerned, we believe that Senator Grace is a Filipino,鈥� Erice said, adding that this is one factor why they supported Poe in her senatorial bid in 2013.
LP has been courting Poe to be Roxas鈥� vice president in 2016 until the neophyte senator declared her presidential ambition on September 16.
On the other hand, Nationalist People鈥檚 Coalition (NPC) acting president Giorgidi Aggabao said that he respects the opinion of Carpio, but the burden of proof should be on the complainant and not on Poe.
鈥淭he burden has to be with (Rizalito) David to establish and show that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino,鈥� Aggabao said.
He said SET is a collective body and the opinion of Carpio is not the position of everyone.
To settle her citizenship issue, Poe has undergone DNA tests to find possible relatives.
Aggabao said Poe 鈥渙n her own took the initiative鈥� to settle her citizenship issue.
鈥淪he鈥檚 taking the risk,鈥� he said, adding that Poe鈥檚 survey ratings would surge once her citizenship issue is settled. Nestor Corrales, 黑料社/CDG
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