It's final: Grace Poe can run, says SC

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) decided with finality that Sen. Grace Poe can run for president in the May 9 elections.

In a resolution released Saturday, the high court said the motions for reconsideration filed by disqualification petitioners failed to present new substantial arguments to reverse the March 8 ruling.

"The Court resolved, by the same vote of 9-6, to deny with finality the said motions for reconsideration as the basic issues raised therein have been passed upon by this Court and no substantial arguments were presented to warrant the reversal of the questioned decision," the resolution read.

The high court dismissed the motions filed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), former senator Francisco Tatad, De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras, former University of the East College of Law dean Amado Valdez and former Government Service Insurance System counsel Estrella Elamparo.

In a concurring opinion released Saturday, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said, “The minute resolution that denies the motions for reconsideration accurately reflects the understanding of this Court—that the motions do not raise any new substantial argument, and that all the issues that the motions raised have already been passed upon in the 8 March 2016 decision.”

The SC has deliberated on the motions for reconsideration in Baguio City last Tuesday but delayed the release of the decision.

“Due to the strong feelings expressed by some of our dissenting colleagues, the Court decided to delay the release of the resolution dismissing with finality the Motions for Reconsideration and to await submission of their dissents,” Sereno said.

“Some of them may believe that a minute resolution will not do justice to the motions, but that is their view, and that view remains a dissenting view,” she added.

The SC earlier ruled the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion when it disqualified Poe as presidential candidate in December over citizenship and residency requirements.

The high court, in the same ruling, decided in favor of Poe’s petition to nullify her disqualification from the May polls.

Foundlings like Poe, who was found as an infant abandoned in a chuch in Jaro, Iloilo, are natural-born citizens, according to the tribunal.

The SC maintained their ruling that there was no material misrepresentation when Poe declared in her certificate of candidacy (COC) that she is a natural-born Filipino and a resident of the Philippines for 10 years.

The nine justices who voted to allow Poe to run for president are Sereno and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Jose Perez, Jose Mendoza, Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa.

The six magistrates who voted to deny Poe’s petition include Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Arturo Brion, Mariano del Castillo, Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Bienvenido Reyes.

Carpio, in his dissenting opinion in March, said that there was no majority ruling on Poe’s qualification as a natural-born citizen since only seven magistrates voted in favor of petitioner on the citizenship issue.

The Comelec agreed with Carpio’s dissent and urged the high court to hold another voting on Poe’s citizenship and residency issues.

The high court, based on the resolution released Saturday, will no longer accept further pleadings related to the case.