Poe camp: Comelec body disregarded other evidence

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe's camp criticized on Thursday the Commission on Elections division for supposedly only basing its decision to disqualify her from the presidential race on one document.

Poe's legal counsel George Garcia claimed the Comelec's Second Division only took up Poe's certificate of candidacy for senator filed in 2012 even his camp presented other documents to strengthen her claims to fulfilling the 10-year residency rule for presidential candidates.

"Doon sa naging decision ng Comelec Second Division, mga 400 pahinang dokumento ang aming iprineesenta, mga dokumento at ebidensya na nagpapatunay na meron na siyang residency dito sa Pilipinas since 2005. Alam ninyo po, kahit isang dokumento doon o ebidensya wala pong idiniscuss ang Comelec Second Division, wala pong tinalakay, wala pong kinonsider," Garcia said in a press briefing.

"Nag-rely lang po ang Comelec Second Division sa nagiisang dokumento sa napakaraming dokumento. Ano po iyon? 'Yung Certificate of Candidacy (COC) noong 2012 which is an honest mistake," Garcia said, pertaining to the erroneous duration Poe herself wrote on the certificate.

Poe indicated that she had been living in the Philippines for six years and six months by May 2013 when she ran for senator. This theoretically renders her short of six months to fulfill the 10-year residency requirement for president.

Poe's camp, however, argued that the senator has been living in the country longer than that, as indicated in other documents they submitted to the quasi-judicial body.

Poe and her legal team also prepared proof on her arrival for her father's wake in 2004 as well as paper trail on filing of income tax, enrolling children, procuring a condominium unit, and even exercising her right to suffrage in 2007 and 2010.

"Ang residency hindi pupuwedeng isang dokumento lang o isang pagkakamali. Ang residency kabuuan ng lahat ng ebidensya na nagpapatunay na intention na tumira sa Pilipinas, bodily or physical presence at ang intention to abandon ang dating domicile, in this case the United States," the lawyer said.

The Poe camp is set to appeal her disqualification case before the Comelec en banc after the Comelec Second Division ruled to revoke her candidacy for presidency.