THE camp of presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe asked the Commission on Elections to consolidate the two motions for reconsideration filed before the poll body’s 1st and 2nd divisions to save time.
In this way, the Comelec en banc could more effectively resolve the controversies and finalize the official list of candidates on Jan. 8, 2016, Poe said through her lawyer George Garcia.
In a recent interview, Garcia said it would be unjust for them to have to answer all the points raised in the four petitions, particularly if they offered the same arguments.
Consolidating the cases would also mean that Poe’s camp would not have to file several cases before the Supreme Court if they lost in the Comelec.
“Considering that all parties have made public statements that they will bring these cases all the way to the Supreme Court, a separate resolution will not only be counterproductive, it will also put the aggrieved party twice in jeopardy for the same event,” the motion stated.
There are four pending petitions against Poe that the Comelec en banc needs to resolve.
On Dec. 1, the Comelec 2nd Division ruled in favor of petitioner Estrella Elamparo, who said Poe had committed material misrepresentation in her certificate of candidacy.
On Dec. 11, the Comelec 1st Division also found that Poe had misrepresented details of her residency and her status as a natural-born citizen.
The 1st Division handled the petitions of former senator Francisco Tatad; Dela Salle University professor Antonio Contreras; and University of the East Law Dean Amado Valdez.
The camp of Poe has already filed a motion for reconsideration before the Comelec en banc, separately, to reverse the decision of the 1st and 2nd Division.
But Comelec chairman Andres Bautista said recently that they were not keen to consolidate both cases because Commissioner Christian Robert Lim had decided to inhibit himself from the Elamparo petition.
On Thursday, Poe said the government must have more newborn screening facilities to ensure the health of a new generation of Filipinos.
Poe also pushed for greater government subsidy of the newborn screening package of the Philippine National Health Insurance Corp. to include transport costs for poor families living in far-flung areas.
