The highest court in the Philippines, the Supreme Court (SC) decided on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 to save Senator Grace Poe from disqualification as presidential candidate in the highly anticipated 2016 national elections. The rulings of the Supreme is one of the landmark decision made by the body for election cases as they voted 9-6 to reverse the decision of the Commission on Elections.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was one of the nine (9) justices who voted in favor of Sen. Grace Poe. The other justices who voted for the Partido Galing at Puso standard-bearer are Presbitero Velasco Jr., Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Jose Perez, Jose Mendoza, Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza, and Benjamin Caguioa.
Out of the nine justices who voted for Sen. Grace Poe, four of them were appointees of President Benigno Aquino III, they were Sereno, Leonen, Jardeleza, and Caguioa.
Those six (6) justices who voted against Sen. Grace Poe are Antonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Mariano del Castillo, Arturo Brion, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, and Bienvenido Reyes.
The decision of the Supreme Court to allow Sen. Grace Poe to run for President is an indication that the senator is now “the clear front-runner,” in the presidential race, this is what political commentator Ramon Casiple stated.
The 47-year-old Sen. Grace Poe has been leading in a tight four-way race to succeed President Benigno S. Aquino III, according to the latest national presidential surveys conducted by various organizations.
