Page 20 - Hello Philippines December 2015 'B' ISSUE

18 www.hello-philippines.com NEWS December 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 24 • UK & Europe Edition

n‘CHOaNotCuwUrRaRIwlN-GebOoPwIrNnIiOs,Nhbuwt we ecacann’pt’re—sCuommemGisrsaicoeneProGeuiias
A member of the Commission on “Respondent posits that she should Philippines and settled initially in the
Elections’ First Division said that while be presumed to be a natural-born house of her adoptive mother, actress “Thus, the urge and temptation indispensable, adding that the Comelec
they “wish” they could also presume citizen of the Philippines considering Susan Roces, she was still a citizen of to resolve these petitions via the “is granted the role” to administer
that Sen. Grace Poe is a natural-born that she was fond within Philippine the United States at the time. principle of ‘Vox Populi Vox Dei’ (the elections, enforce laws governing
Filipino, she does not fall under such territory. How We wish We could make Voice of the People is the Voice of such, and resolve disputes related to it.
classification under the Philippine said presumption. Regretfully, We “The probability that she has, at the God), as proposed by many, is hard
Constitution. cannot. To do so would be to provide back of her mind, the intention to go to resist. Many has suggested that “It is our mandate to resolve the
what the Constitution clearly does not,” back eventually to the United States We should just brush aside the legal petition, but this mandate should be
In a six-page separate concurring he wrote. persist in the absence of additional issues involved and leave the matter exercised only within the extent of
opinion, Commissioner Luie Tito Guia proof to the contrary. She technically of whether Respondent can be a our authority granted to Us by the
explained, for his part, the division’s He added: “As individual citizens still maintained allegiance to the President of the country to the voters. Constitution and the laws,” he said.
decision to rule that Poe committed ourselves, the proposal is appealing United States in 2005, of which she Indeed, in a republican democracy it
material misrepresentation in her COC as it seems to grant those abandoned was a citizen at the time, and not to is the people who should ultimately “It is with deep regret that We have
and that she “deliberately attempted same opportunities as those available the Philippines up until her petition decide the rightful persons to led the to resolve the petitions this way,” he
to deceive and mislead the electorate” to other group of citizens. But as for reacquisition of citizenship was government,” he wrote. wrote. “We, however, are constrained
on both her citizenship and residency constitutional officers with specific approved on 18 July 2006,” he wrote. by our duty and mandate to decide
qualifications. mandate to discharge, We can only Guia, however, added that there cases within the bounds of our
perform our role within the limits of He added: “Her intent to reside in was need to emphasize “that in a authority. We merely performed what
On the citizenship issue, Guia said our authority.” the Philippines permanently and to constitutional democracy, respect for the Constitution mandates us to do.” n
they found that Poe “cannot consider abandon her domicile in the United the Rule of Law is as important and
herself a natural-born Filipino,” while Guia also said “there is... States were therefore not yet evident at Rose-An Jessica Dioquino / JST, GMA News / Published
she established her domicile only in no evidence” that principles of the time.”
July 2006, which would place her two international law that Poe has invoked / December 11, 2015 / 10:43 pm
months short of the 10-year residency in her case “have attained the stature Further, “Intention is a state of
requirement. of general acceptance internationally.” mind that can only be established by
external conduct or overt acts. While
Not natural-born. Guiawrotethatas Domicile in July 2006. Meanwhile, We in the Commission are asked to
being natural-born is “unequivocally” the commissioner said he is “not probe Respondent’s intention, We can
required by the Philippine Constitution, convinced” of Poe’s claim that she only do so guided by overt acts and
such status “as a qualification for one to established her domicile, and her attendant circumstances.”
become President must be certain and intent to reside in the Philippines
not based on a mere probability.” permanently in May 2005, which the Difficult challenge. In his concurring
senator used to compute the 10 years opinion, Guia noted that Poe’s case
He wrote that they found that and 11 months that she declared in her was a “difficult challenge” given that
Poe “cannot consider herself as a COC. she is currently serving as senator and
natural-born citizen” under Philippine enjoys popularity as shown by “various
Constitution because she is a foundling, Guia noted that even while Poe and opinion surveys that put her among
with her biological parents and their her children “were already physically the top preferences to become the next
citizenship unknown. and personally present” in the president of the Republic.”

No overseas voting for 3,900 Filipinos based in Baghdad, Damascus and Tripoli: Comelec

File photo of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia exercising overseas absentee voting in the 2013 mid-term elections. MANILA - The Commission on be allowed to vote outside of Baghdad, happen to be in the country on
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs Elections (Comelec) on Friday said Damascus and Tripoli, said Lim who is election day.
more than 3,900 Filipino registered the commissioner in charge of OFOV.
voters will not be able to exercise Records showed there are 173
overseas absentee voting in the “Other posts outside of Baghdad, registered voters in Baghdad, Iraq;
conflict areas of Baghdad, Damascus Damascus and Tripoli will be provided 289 in Damascus, Syria and 3,453 in
and Tripoli on May 9, 2016 due to the with a master list of all registered Tripoli, Libya.
“evacuation situation” there. overseas absentee voters so when
they go to a certain post, as long as The Philippine embassies in these
According to Comelec Commissioner their name is in the list, they can vote areas have been shut down due to
Arthur Lim, the Comelec in an en there,” said Lim. the increasing hostilities there in
banc meeting last week had granted the past months.
the recommendation of the Office for The Comelec, in coordination with
Overseas Voting (OFOV) to suspend the Department of Foreign Affairs, For the coming elections,
the elections in these three areas. is also studying the possibility of there are some 1.4 million migrant
allowing the concerned voters to vote Filipinos who have registered as of
So as not to disenfranchise the in the embassies of Iraq, Syria and Nov. 12, up from 700,000 in the 2013
3,915 registered voters there, they will Libya in the Philippines in case they mid-term polls. n Jet Villa / InterAksyon.

com / December 12, 2015 / 7:06 am

Boracay, love life, nasa isip ni PNoy pag-alis sa Palasyo
ANO nga ba ang naghihintay kay enjoy or I will try to enjoy feeling no gave me an opportunity. So I have to pinagdadaanan sa buhay.

Pangulong Benigno Aquino III pagbaba pressure whatsoever on that day.” confess, I saw Bora, but I never got to Noong nakaraang Agosto, sinabi

niya sa kapangyarihan sa katapusan Nasa isip din ni Aquino na bumalik the beach. I never got to the water,” Aquino sa isang pagtitipon sa

ng Hunyo 2016? sa Boracay at ma-enjoy ang beach na natatawa niyang kuwento. Mandaluyong City na umaasa siyang

Sa isang media forum sa Pasay hindi niya nagawa nang nagpunta Umaasa rin ang 55-anyos na si makikita niya ang kaniyang “babes”

city nitong Biyernes, sinabi ni Aquino siya sa Aklan para magpasinaya ng Aquino na mabibigyan na niya ng pagkatapos ng kaniyang termino.

na nais niyang mag-relax pagkatapos proyekto. panahon ang sarili para magkaroon ng “Alam n’yo, next year po, sa July 1,

ng kaniyang termino bilang lider ng “Which place would I want to go love life. 2016, inaasahan ko po ‘pag mayroon

bansa. to? You know, last night I was talking “Do I have plans (sa love life)? I’ve akong kausap na babes, hindi na po si

Sa unang araw ng kaniyang to somebody, and I said everybody in always had plans. Siguro when I have Babes Singson,” patungkol ni Aquino

pagiging citizen Aquino, sinabi ng the Philippines would probably have more time, now that I’m able to go to St. kay Public Works Secretary Rogelio

pangulo na hindi muna siya babangon a Bora experience. Hopefully, it is still Jude (shrine) a lot more often, it might “Babes” Singson.

nang maaga. an experience that I can experience,” help,” pahayag niya na ikinatuwa ng Sa ngayon, nauugnay si Aquino

“Day One, I probably will get up pahayag ng pangulo. mga tao na dumalo sa pagtitipon. kay Miss Universe-Philippines 2015

sometime in the late afternoon,” aniya. “We had to inaugurate the Caticlan Si Saint Jude ang patron ng mga Pia Wurtzbach. n FRJ, GMA News / Published

“I will not read any newspaper. I will airport’s improvements there so they taong nawawalan ng pag-asa at may December 12, 2015 / 12:48 am