Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) beat the deadline on Thursday (January 7) after filing its comment on Senator Grace Poe’s petition seeking to reverse the poll body’s decision on the cancellation of her certificate of candidacy (COC) for president.
No less than Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon submitted the poll body’s answer to Poe’s petition.
Related: Comelec asks for extension to prepare case vs. Poe
This after the Supreme Court (SC) didn’t act on Comelec’s motion to extend the poll body’s filing of comment for five days.
In its comment, Comelec reiterated it did not act with grave abuse of discretion when it cancelled Poe’s COC.
It argued it was merely performing its constitutional mandate of administering election laws.
Related: Comelec disqualifies Poe from presidential race
The poll body also made it clear the ruling of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) with respect to her citizenship did not overturn its finding that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino.
It explained the fact that Poe was a foundling with no known parentage effectively excluded her from the coverage of the definition of a natural-born citizen under the 1935 Constitution.
It pointed out the SET decision didn’t bind Comelec and it’s not a legal precedent.
Comelec maintained Poe committed material misrepresentation in her COC for president when she stated, under oath, that she’s a natural-born Filipino and haD complied with the 10-year residency requirement.
“She deliberately attempted to mislead the electorate,” Guanzon said.
Related: Solicitor General to defend SET decision on Poe; Comelec on its own
Guanzon and another Comelec commissioner, Arthur Lim, will argue for Comelec during the oral arguments — after the Office of the Solicitor General chose to represent the SET instead.
