Alan Cayetano: Sister Pia, 4 senators want to be 'in good graces' with Poe

Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday said that her sister, Pia Cayetano, and the four other senator-members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal want to be "in good graces" with Sen. Grace Poe, who has been leading the presidential preference surveys.

 

“It’s a decision because she’s leading and everyone wants to be in good graces with Grace because she is leading sa surveys. Iyon ang sarili kong pananaw kasi hindi ko makita yung justification ng limang senador but it’s up to them to say na mali din ako,” he added.

 

The other members of the SET who voted against the disqualification petition filed by losing 2013 senatorial bet Rizalito David against Poe were Senators Cynthia Villar, Vicente Sotto III, Loren Legarda and Bam Aquino.

 

Cayetano, who is running for vice president and supports the possible presidential run of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, said that the five senators could have also voted in favor of Poe out of pity.

 

“Siyempre may factor ng awa. Ang problema 'pag judge ka hindi mo pwedeng tignan yung tao, dapat yung batas ang tignan mo,” he said.

 

He added: “It is not about all foundlings kasi ang SET is not precedent setting e, it will be the Supreme Court eventually which will rule on that.  This is really about Grace Poe, it is about someone na who has powerful backers at mataas sa survey and we are willing to bend the rules, we are willing to re-interpret the Constitution for her."

 

He also said that the five senators disregarded the law and tried to justify that the SET is not only a legal body, but also political.

 

Cayetano added that the five SET members failed to apply “cold neutrality" in voting on the disqualification case.

 

"Kung babasahin n’yo yung separate opinions although hindi pa kumpleto yung sa ibang senador e talagang one point (sa mga senador) compared sa 100 points ng justices e,” he said.

 

Those who voted against Poe were Senator Nancy Binay and Supreme Court Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, SET chair; Teresita Leonardo-de Castro and Arturo Brion.

 

The three justices' dissenting opinions have been published online by the SET. 

 

Sincere

 

Cayetano, meanwhile, said that he did not try to convince his sister to vote against Poe.

 

“We never exert, we never dictate to each other,” he said.

 

He said that being siblings doesn't mean he and the lady senator "will always vote the same, you will vote based on your conscience."

 

"That’s why I’m saying na I believe, she (Pia) and her companions were sincere but they are sincerely wrong,” Cayetano said.

 

“Now if she was influenced by her advocacy, by her pananaw I don’t know, it’s up to her to explain that but what I’m saying is that when you enter the SET hindi ka advocate, judge ka,” he added.

 

Up to SC

 

Meanwhile, Cayetano said that it would not be up to the Supreme Court to "set the record straight."

 

The camp of David had said that they will elevate the dismissed disqualification case to the high court.

 

In his petition, David cited that Poe should not have been allowed to run for senator in 2013 because she is not a natural-born Filipino citizen.

 

“Now if the Supreme Court doesn’t rule, e 'di umatras sila sa napakaimportanteng tanong kasi ngayon pa lang may nagla-lobby na pabayaan n'yo na, mag-eleksyon na lang,” Cayetano said.

 

He also asked Poe to think and put the welfare of the country first before her own interest.

 

“Senator Grace, is it worth it na ibasura mo ang Konstitusyon para lang maging presidente ka? Once a upon a time sabi mo mahal mo ang pamilya mo kaya nag-oath ka sa Amerika, so ngayon kung mahal mo ang bansa mo pick a president na purong Filipino para ang Konstitusyon ay hindi masira,” he said.

 

He added that it was not Poe’s fault that she was a foundling, but it was also not the fault of the Filipino people that the Constitution requires candidates for national positions to be natural born citizens.

 

“A friendly advice, ibalanse niya yung desire niya na maging presidnete sa mangyayari sa Constitution at sa batas,” he said.

 

In a separate interview, Senator Francis Escudero said Poe is not destroying the Constitution.

 

“Kung paniniwalaan ang kanilang pinanghahawakan na labag sa Constitution ang kanyang pagtakbo, subalit tingnan natin mula’t mula na binigyan siya ng birth certificate, pina-adopt sya bilang Pilipino, nakatakbo, at naninilbihan siya bilang senador, may passport siya, ginawaran sya ng paborableng decision ng SET – lahat mula sa kanyang pagkapanganak, pati itsura ika nga, lahat tumuturo sa isang bagay, na sya’y Pilipino at qualified na tumakbo,” Escudero said.

 

“Hindi nasusukat ang pagmamahal sa bayan dahil lamang siguro sa pananaw ng isa o iilan. Nasusukat lamang 'yan sa puso, sa intensyon at sa galaw ng isang Pilipino,” he added.

 

Esudero, who is running for vice president in tandem with Poe, further said that they are not making the issue an emotional one but the intent of the law is to protect those who have less in life.

 

“Pinuprotektahan ng batas ang isang tao na kulang at salat sa karapatan at biyaya na binigay sa kanya ng buhay. Yun ang rason naman kung bakit may batas tayo, para protektahan yung dehado, yung naaapi, at yung maliliit,” he said. —ALG, GMA News