Coconut farmers from Quezon province and the Bicol region criticize the alleged connivance between businessman Danding Cojuangco and presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe on the use of the Coco Levy Fund, during a press conference in Quezon City on Monday.(MNS photo)
BAGUIO CITY, Apr 6 (Mabuhay) – With finality, Sen. Grace Poe can run for president in the May 9 elections.
This, after the Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed its March 8 ruling that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) committed grave abuse of discretion when it canceled the lawmaker’s certificate of candidacy for president.
A court insider said “there is no reversal of the decision of the majority.”
The source, however, said the minority requested to be given time to submit their respective dissenting opinions.
In its original decision on March 8, a majority of nine justices, including Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, outnumbered the minority of six magistrates in declaring that the poll body erred when it canceled Poe’s certificate of candidacy for president.
The source said the voting was unchanged: 9-6 in favor of Poe.
Now that it’s final, the SC decision eliminates any legal obstacle against Poe’s presidential candidacy, said the same source.
The source said the tribunal voted in a timely manner “in consideration of the remaining days leading up to the elections.”
At a media briefing here, SC Public Information Office chief and spokesman Theodore Te confirmed that the en banc had already reached a decision on the motions for reconsideration on the SC’s March 8 ruling.
The justices, however, decided that the ruling will be released on Saturday, April 9, on Araw ng Kagitingan, exactly one month before the national elections.
It was still not clear where and in what manner the decision would be released on Saturday.
The motions for reconsideration were filed by the Comelec and the four private petitioners who moved for Poe’s disqualification before the poll body. They are former Sen. Francisco Tatad, former University of the East law dean Amado Valdez, political science professor Antonio Contreras, and lawyer Estrella Elamparo.
In its 47-page decision penned by Associate Justice Jose Perez announced on March 8 but released on March 11, the high tribunal said the Comelec’s twin rulings to disqualify Poe from the presidential race was “deadly diseased with grave abuse of discretion from root to fruits.”
The SC ruled that Poe is a natural-born Filipino who has met the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates under the Philippine Constitution.(MNS)