Pia Cayetano backs Duterte but stands by decision to junk Poe case

“To Senator Grace Poe, think about it: Is it worth it?”

Despite her vote in Ms. Poe’s favor, Mr. Duterte said Ms. Cayetano is the only lawyer among the senators who voted against the David petition.

Aside from Senator Pia Cayetano, the four other SET members who voted to junk the case against Poe were Senators Cynthia Villar, Loren Legarda, Bam Aquino and Vicente “Tito’ Sotto III”.

“This tanim-bala (bullet planting controversy), criminality, corruption, political decision instead of the legal issue on Poe’s citizenship are all symptomatic of the oppression of Filipinos”, he said, referring to the disqualification case against Poe that was dismissed by the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).

He added that Poe’s high ratings in surveys may have influenced the five senators’ decision.

“I can not accept the decision of the SET”.

After hemming and hawing, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City in volatile Mindanao announced he would join the May 2016 presidential race, saying he wanted to save the country from an “American president”.

Poe’s spokesperson Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said that while they oppose Duterte’s view on her citizenship, they believe that the entry of the mayor into the presidential race will strengthen the country’s democracy.

He described the SET decision allowing Poe to run as “reeking of politics” and the resolution was not based on the legality of the citizenship of the senator.

“We may have different opinions on the SET but I have the utmost respect for him (Duterte) and my brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano”.

“Senator Poe will be a presumptive president whose citizenship is based on presumption”, Duterte told a gathering of his former schoolmates in Dasmarinas City, Cavite province in Southern Luzon on Saturday night.

While he could not blame Poe for being a foundling, Cayetano said she could not run for president because the Constitution mandates that a person seeking the presidency should be a natural born Filipino.

Cayetano also said Poe is “willing to bend the laws” for her desire to become president by mid-2016.