MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III said Sen. Grace Poe should be allowed to run for president, hoping that the disqualification case filed against her will be resolved soon.
"One would hope that Senator Grace gets the opportunity to be judged by the people to secure the mandate. Vox populi, vox dei. That's a personal opinion," Aquino said in an interview on ANC on Tuesday night.
Poe, a foundling adopted by Ferdinand Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, is facing a disqualification case at the Senate Electoral Tribunal for supposedly not being be a natural-born citizen, a constitutional requirement for her post.
Aquino hopes that Poe's case will be resolved before the 2016 elections.
"Hopefully--I assume it might get elevated to the Supreme Court--that there is a decision that is timely, that it happens, there is clarity and it happens soon rather than to be decided after the election," Aquino said.
Asked to weigh in on the issue of citizenship, Aquino referred to the legal definition of being a natural-born Filipino.
"Traditionally, it says a natural-born citizen is somebody who never did anything to complete the process," he said.
On Monday, the Senate Electoral Tribunal started hearing Poe's disqualification case with Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio saying that the senator is a naturalized Filipino.
Last week, Poe announced that she will be running for president, rejecting the administration's offer to be the running mate of Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II. — Louis Bacani