Sen. Grace Poe Appears in Disqualification Case Hearing at SET

(PNA) — Senator Grace Poe and complainant Rizalito David appeared on the first day of the hearing on Friday by the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) in connection with the disqualification case filed against the senator, anchored on the issue of her citizenship.

During the preliminary conference at the SET at the Supreme Court (SC) En Banc Session, Poe and David were almost sitting beside each other. However, they totally ignored each other.

Both parties in the case agreed with the stipulation of their respective pieces of evidence and documents during the hearing.

However, on the part of Poe, her legal counsel, Atty. Alexander Poblador, argued that Poe is a natural-born Filipino and that the senator had complied with the requirements to become a senator when she ran in the 2013 senatorial elections.

The camp of Poe also argued that the petition of David should be dismissed because under the rules of the SET, the petition should have been filed 10 days after the proclamation of Poe as senator of the Republic.

According to Poe, her appearance before the SET was not only for the 2016 elections, but also to clean her name and person against the accusations which did not differ with the harassment done against her father, the late Fernando Poe Jr., when he ran for president in 2004.

The oral arguments on the disqualification case against the senator has been set to Sept. 21, 2015 at 2 p.m. (PNA) SCS/PTR