THE camp of presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe called upon on all parties Tuesday to refrain from preempting the Supreme Court, which is expected to release its decision on the disqualification cases filed against her in the next few days.
“We should give the members of the Supreme Court space to be able to compose their respective decisions without the glare of speculation,” Poe’s spokesman Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian issued his statement after a newspaper (not The Standard), quoting anonymous sources, reported that the Court has already decided that Poe failed to meet the 10-year residency requirement to run for president, and that Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo has written the draft decision, which has been circulated among the 14 justices.
The report added that the Court skirted questions about her status as a natural-born citizen and focused instead on the length of her residency.
It also said the draft decision called for the lifting of the Court’s temporary restraining order, which had prevented the Comelec from removing Poe’s name from the roster of candidates for president.
The Palace declined to comment on the report.
“Out of respect for the Supreme Court’s independence, we prefer to await its decision on Senator Poe’s qualifications and will therefore refrain from commenting on its deliberations and decision-making processes,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.
Poe’s election lawyer, George Erwin Garcia, said he is confident that the Supreme Court would uphold what is “true and just.”
“Time and again, in the history of this nation, the high court had consistently upheld what is true and just,” he said.
Two cases are pending before the Court—one filed by Estrella Elamparo, and the other a consolidation of a complaint filed by Francisco Tatad, Antonio Contreras and Amado Valdez.
A third case, filed by Rizalito David, questions the decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal finding Poe was qualified to sit as a senator.