Sen. Grace Poe FILE PHOTO
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) hopes to resolve the three disqualification cases against Sen. Grace Poe not later than mid-December.
But that doesn鈥檛 mean an all-clear for Poe, as her challengers, if they lose in the Comelec, are expected to raise their cases to the Supreme Court.
Comelec Commissioner Arthur Lim on Wednesday said the agency would not waste time in handling the cases, two of which are questioning Poe鈥檚 citizenship.
The third case charges that she does not meet the 10-year residency rule for presidential candidates.
鈥淐onsistent with due process, with the requirements of fair play, and with the requirements of hearing, we鈥檒l study all issues and [act] based on evidence,鈥� Lim told reporters after appearing at a meeting called by the House suffrage and electoral reforms committee.
Lim said the Comelec would try to resolve the cases within November, or, failing that, not later than the middle of December.
SET case
Speaking at the committee meeting, Lim said the Comelec鈥檚 law department had recommended suspension of proceedings on Poe鈥檚 disqualification cases because a petition questioning her citizenship was already pending on the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).
That case was filed by Kapatiran Party鈥檚 Rizalito David, who claims that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino because she was abandoned after birth and her parents remain unknown.
Lim said the SET case posed a 鈥減rejudicial question鈥� on the Comelec, which should decide whether to proceed with the three cases against Poe or wait until the SET resolved David鈥檚 challenge to the senator鈥檚 citizenship.
鈥淭he decision of the [full commission] is to study this issue of prejudicial question, subject this to a judicious approach, and study it,鈥� Lim said.
But for the time being, the Comelec will hold a hearing on Nov. 3 to allow Poe to respond to the cases against her or, possibly, invoke the prejudicial question herself, Lim said.
The three cases in the Comelec were brought by former Department of Justice prosecutor Estrella Elamparo, former Sen. Francisco Tatad and De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras.
Elamparo and Tatad are also questioning Poe鈥檚 citizenship, while Contreras is challenging聽 Poe鈥檚 Philippine residency.
Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said last week that Elamparo鈥檚 petition had been raffled off to the Second Division and the petitions brought by Tatad and Contreras might be consolidated with hers.
Poe is the front-runner in the latest voter preference polls for the 2016 presidential election, leading the ruling Liberal Party鈥檚 Mar Roxas and the opposition United Nationalist Alliance鈥檚 Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Poe says she is confident of hurdling the challenges to her candidacy, which her camp blames on her rivals. TVJ
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