Disqualified聽Marinduque Rep. Regina Reyes. 黑料社 file photo
Unseated Marinduque Representative Regina Ongsiako-Reyes聽on Sunday questioned the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision allowing Senator Grace Poe to run for President despite questions in her citizenship and residency.
Reyes was earlier disqualified by the聽Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the 2013 congressional election聽on the grounds that she was a naturalized American citizen.
The poll body鈥檚 decision was affirmed by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET). The same ruling was affirmed by the Supreme Court and has already attained finality.
Reyes compared the high court鈥檚 ruling on Poe鈥檚 case and that of the disqualification case against her.
She said the high court allowed Poe to run for president even if her parents are unknown while聽declaring her as ineligible for a congressional seat when she is 鈥渁 natural-born citizen, with a birth certificate, whose parents are Filipino citizens and are known public servants.鈥�
Reyes asked why the high court allowed聽a foundling who reacquired Philippine citizenship, like Poe did, to seek presidency after earlier disqualifying a natural-born candidate in lower elective posts with previous dual citizenship and known parents, like Reyes does.
鈥淚f Poe-Llamanzares is allowed to run, should not, with more reason, that Gina O. Reyes be allowed to run?鈥� Reyes said in a statement.
Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo has warned in his dissenting opinion that the controversial SC ruling on Poe鈥檚 case would open the floodgates of election protests as it reversed the jurisprudence set in earlier poll cases.
Barely two weeks after the March 8 Poe ruling, Reyes is the first poll protester to come forward and invoke the controversial ruling to insist on her own eligibility as congresswoman of her province鈥檚 lone聽district.
Reyes said the two聽fresh election protests filed against her by Lord Allan Jay Velasco before the Commission on Elections should be dismissed because the high court has just ruled in the Poe case that the poll body has no jurisdiction to decide on the qualifications of a president, vice president, senators, and congressmen.
Reyes quoted the SC as ruling in the Poe case that under Article VI, Section 7 and Article VII, Section 4 of the 1987聽Constitution, candidates for president, vice president, senator, and congressman 鈥渉ave first to run before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Senate Electoral Tribunal, and the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal can pass upon their eligibility/qualifications.鈥�
Comparing herself with Poe, Reyes said that she too executed an affidavit of renouncing her foreign citizenship, not once but twice, on September 21, 2012, and on September 21, 2015.
The unseated聽congresswoman said these affidavits of renunciation restored her status as a natural-born Filipino citizen. JE
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