Sen Grace Poe is a natural-born Filipino citizen and is therefore qualified to run as President in the coming 2016 Presidential election.
Atty. Katrina Legarda, a well-known Philippine lawyer said that the Philippines adheres to the principles of International Law.
Under international law, foundlings are considered a citizen of the country where the foundling is found.
Sen Grace Poe is a foundling. A Foundling is an infant that has been abandoned by its parents and is discovered and cared for by others.
Atty. Katrina Legarda further said that whoever alleges that Sen Grace Poe is not a natural-born Filipino citizen must be the one to prove that she is not.
A Quo Warranto case was filed by a private citizen yesterday before the Senate Electoral Tribunal seeking to remove her from the Senate.
Quo Warranto is a proceeding to unseat an ineligible person from the office. A Quo Warranto may be filed by any voter.
Grounds for quo warranto are disloyalty or ineligibility of the winning candidate.
Senate Electoral Tribunals are independent constitutional bodies.
The Senate Electoral tribunal shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of their respective members.
The Senate Electoral Tribunal is composed of 3 Supreme Court Justices to be designated by the Chief Justice and 6 Members of the Senate.
The senior Justice in the Electoral Tribunal shall be its Chairman. The members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal are chosen on the basis of proportional representation from the political parties and party-list organizations.
One of the grounds upon which the case was filed against Sen Grace Poe was that she is not a natural-born Filipino citizen. Atty. Katrina Legarda believes otherwise.