Q&A: PH Presidential frontrunner Grace Poe on EDCA and her Citizenship

Political columnist Mortz C. Ortigoza asked this afternoon Philippine presidential front runner  and  Senator Mary Grace Poe on whether she will vote for a military treaty’s Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States in case the Supreme Court strikes it out as unconstitutional since it fails to have the Senate’s concurrence. Ortigoza inquired too Poe if her re-acquisition of her Philippine Citizenship through Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003  (Republic Act 9225) is the all encompassing act that shroud her being a natural citizenship and makes her qualified to run as presidential candidate of the Philippines as required by the Constitution. Excerpts:

Interviewer Ortigoza poses with Senator Grace Poe in one of the latter
visits at San Carlos City, the city, of her late father actor Fernando
Poe, Jr.

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA (MCO): Sa Resolution po ng Senado karamihan gusto nila ang Senado ratify the EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement).

GRACE POE (GP): (Pause)

MCO: Iyong executive military agreement between the United States and the Philippine Government sa Resolution ni Senator (Merriam) Santiago that there could be no EDCA without the concurrence of the Senate.

GP: Opo

MCO: Maam, anytime from now ang Supreme Court kasi magde-decision sa Constitutionality ng EDCA.

GP: Opo

MCO: In case i-sustain ng Supreme Court ang petition (by Harry Roque, Former Senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tanada, et al) na unconstitutional the EDCA, pag nilagay sa Senado, are you in favour for EDCA (as we face the incessant Chinese incursion in our territories)?

GP: Para sa amin po kasi kailangan ang Senado na magkaroon ng pagkakataon na i-review ito. Kasama po ito sa trabaho ng Senado - responsibilidad. Ngayon, at ang Senado  rin ang magde-determine kung kailangan talaga ito. O bago itong kasundu-an o ito ba ang karagdagan lang sa dati.

Sa tanung  ninyo, importante na magkaroon ng mga maitutulong sa ating siguridad. Pero kailangan natin rebyuhin iyong proposal bago magbigay ng commitment dito. Kaya nga hinihingi natin iyong sa Senado.

MCO: Former U.E Dean Amado Valdez discussed about three talking points about your citizenship in 2006, 2010, and 2011 when he filed recently at the Comelec for your disqualification in the presidential race.

2006 July was  your availing the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003  (Republic Act 9225), 2010 October 21 was when you renounced your American citizenship when you took an oath in a Philippine government’s office, 2011 when you re-affirmed the renunciation before a vice consul at the United States embassy in Manila.

Ano ba meron doon sa 2006 na para iyon ang all encompassing arguments ng part ninyo?

Senator Poe exhorts today the members of ALL4GP Movement or Alyansa at
Laban ng mga Lahi para sa Ganap na Pagbabago who meet for their
Northern Luzon's coordinator conference. They are graced by Poe at
the Regency Hotel in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
Guest of honours from left: Calasiao Mayor and Nationalist People’s Coalition
 vice gubernatorial bet Mark Roy Macanlalay, Abono Party –list Chairman 
and Samahan ng Industriya at Agrikultura’s Chairman Rosendo So, former
 Board Member and proprietor of Regency Dop Fernandez, and the
chairman of ALL4GP Movement.

GP: 2006 July po iyon ang aking reacquisition citizenship sa Pilipinas. Pero remember  na ang citizenship at residency hinde magka pareho iyan. Sapagkat you can be considered a resident of a country without necessarily being from that country. Lahat po iyan ay nasasagot naman po sa pagdating sa Comelec.

Kahapon bakit noong sumumpa ang mga sumusonod at tatlong nag file ang kasama naman po doon sa kaso na nagsampa at dininig kahapon.  So lahat po iyan ay sasagutin natin.

So balik ho tayo sa issue iyong sa akin na binabato ay tanggapin ko ng buong- buo. At sasabihin ko sasagutin ko ng makakatutuhanan. Ang binabato po sa iba ay katiwali-an. Ang binabato naman ho sa iba ang sigaw ng paghanap ng trabaho. Para sa akin hindi po ako nagkulang sa aking paninilbihan at sa aking tapat na mga kababayan. Iyan po siguro sa akin ang nagbigay ng lakas ngayon. Sapagkat  kung iyong po ang dalawang (inaudible) iyon talaga ang magsasabi na hindi karapat dapat. Kasi ang integridad ng isang tao ay hindi po nasusukat sa DNA.

MCO: So you agree that reacquisition (of citizenship in 2006) is superior than renunciation (of citizenship on October 21, 2010)?

GP: (Pause)

MCO: 2006 is superior than 2010 or 2011? (Because 2006 covered your 10 years Constitutional residency requirement for the presidency?)

GP: For me sir, it’s the sequence of events that I have complied with my residency as well as my citizenship equally important just a matter of verification on those dates I can truthfully presented. I comply with all the necessary requirements to be a (inaudible) and qualified.

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)