MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Nancy Binay on Tuesday said she decided to vote in favor of the disqualification case against Sen. Grace Poe not because her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, is her contender in the 2016 presidential race.
In a statement Tuesday, the the neophyte senator said her losing vote with the justices of the Supreme Court was based on evidence presented by Poe regarding her citizenship.
Binay, who voted as part of the Senate Electoral Tribunal deciding on the petition against Poe, said she questioned Poe's adoption papers and documents on appointment as chairperson of the Movie and Television Ratings and Classification Board.
"This case is not about my father or the presidential election," Binay said following the issuance of 5-4 ruling dismissing the disqualification bid.
READ: SET junks disqualification case vs Poe
Binay cited "political analysts" in arguing that her father would benefit if Poe would run and if there were more candidates for the presidency.
"With my father's core supporters intact, the other votes will be split among the other candidates," she said.
"This is about the provisions of the Constitution which each and every Filipino must uphold.
Binay’s father, however, is trailing behind Poe in recent surveys. Other presidential aspirants are former Interior and Local Government Secretary and administration candidate Manuel "Mar" Roxas II and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
The younger Binay insisted Poe does not classify as a natural-born citizen required by the Constitution for candidates for elected posts.
"As a senator of the country who was elected and entrusted by the Filipinos to uphold the law, I must make a decision based on the provisions of the Constitution. More than anyone else, a senator of the land must respect the Constitution," the senator said.