MANILA, 4 March 2004 — The Supreme Court yesterday rejected an effort to disqualify action film star Fernando Poe Jr. from the presidential race, paving the way for a May 10 showdown with incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The decision eased fears of a violent backlash if Poe, who is especially popular among the poor, had been booted. Sharpshooters had deployed around the courthouse, and a 200-man backup force was put on standby for riot police.
Poe’s opponents argued that he should not be allowed to stand for the presidency because of questions about his citizenship.
In a 53-page decision, the justices voted 8-5 with one absent that the Elections Commission “did not commit a grave abuse of discretion” in earlier rejecting the challenge.
“The Supreme Court is declaring that Fernando Poe is a natural-born Filipino,” court spokesman Ismail Khan told a hastily called news conference. Poe and Arroyo welcomed a critical decision in what is shaping up to be a head-to-head battle for a six-year term. The most recent opinion poll showed the two in a virtual tie, well ahead of three other candidates.
Poe’s spokesman, Rodolfo Reyes, said the ruling would bolster the actor’s already-strong popularity rating and convince hesitant donors to back him. “We can now go full-steam ahead in our campaign because we have all along considered this petition to be a harassment suit,” Reyes said.
At Poe’s campaign headquarters, throngs of supporters yelled his nickname, FPJ, and arranged a thanksgiving mass instead of the mass protests that would have followed an adverse ruling.
Arroyo wished Poe the best, saying the decision would give voters a wide choice.
“Let us unify behind democracy, clean elections and the rule of law,” said her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye.
The lawyers who filed the challenge have 15 days to appeal, but the success of such challenges is rare.
Asked about the prospect, attorney Victorino Fornier, who filed the original petition against Poe, said: “If I don’t believe the decision was made correctly, or there are certain errors made by the honorable Supreme Court in arriving at this decision, which I haven’t seen yet, then I will file a motion for reconsideration.”
The court acknowledged that Poe was born out of wedlock to American Bessie Kelly and Allan Poe. It said the film star’s grandfather Lorenzo, “albeit a Spanish subject, was not shown to have declared his allegiance to Spain by virtue of the Treaty of Paris and the Philippine Bill of 1902.”
Asked if the court was relieved to have the ruling out, “You might say that,” Khan said. But he denied the prospect of violence affected the decision.
