Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista declared on Saturday (June 27) that he had started studying the issue of Sen. Grace Poe’s residency should she decide to run for president.
“Ako personally well medyo nagbabasa na ako kung sakali na mag-file nga siya at kung sakaling mayroong magkukwestyon pero sabi ko nga at this point hypothetical pa eh because first of all we don’t know if she will run for another office,” Bautista said.
[Translation: “Personally, I’ve been reading up on it should she file (her certificate of candidacy) and just in case anyone questions it. But like I said, at this point, it’s still hypothetical because first of all, we don’t know if she will run for another office.”]
Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, who is interim president of the United Nationalist Alliance, raised the issue against Poe, saying the senator failed to meet the residency rule of 10 years for those who are running as president or vice president. But Tiangco later issued an apology for his statement.
Related: Poe accepts Tiangco apology on residency issue
While Poe graciously accepted Tiancgo’s apology, legal experts have been debating on the matter.
Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal and former Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes previously said that Poe’s 2013 certificate of candidacy (COC) is neither proof of residency nor a basis for disqualification, but others agreed with Tiangco.
Read: Election expert: Deeming Grace Poe ‘disqualified’ too premature
Talk only died down when Poe dismissed the issue herself and said that she is qualified to run for higher office in 2016.
Related: Poe: I am qualified to run in 2016
Bautista admitted that has been reading various legal materials and Supreme Court rulings that could possibly be related to Poe’s residency issue in case it is again brought up.
Comelec commissioners, on the other hand, haven’t convened to decide on the matter since it is too early to come to any conclusions.
In the event that Poe does file her COC in October, Bautista said they would carefully deliberate on the matter.
Meanwhile, Poe is now the frontrunner in the recent Pulse Asia and SWS surveys after overtaking opposition leader and Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Watch: Poe highest in Pulse Asia senatorial performance rating
