Blind greed
If Grace Poe wins the presidency, she will be made to swear an oath to preserve and defend the Constitution. But hasn't she violated the same constitution already when she insisted on running despite her clear failure to satisfy some of its qualifying provisions on presidential eligibility? To be sure, the Supreme Court has allowed her to run. But the ruling is infirm. So infirm, in fact, that to this day the Supreme Court has refused to reveal details of its decision.
Poe cannot argue away the fact that she does not know who her parents are. And if you do not know who your parents are, it follows you cannot be absolutely certain they are Filipino. You will have to admit, that is if you have the moral courage to do so, that there is a probability, no matter how small, that they could be nationals of another country. You will be forced to agree that, for all you know, they could be Syrian, or Mongolian, or whatever other than Filipino.
That is why, in the wisdom of the Constitution, it has to be provided that a person seeking the highest office in the land must be a natural born citizen. That person must be a Filipino at birth without having to perform anything to acquire Filipino citizenship. Natural born citizenship must be assured so that the loyalty of the leader of a nation cannot be questioned.
A nation tries to co-exist with other nations in peace and cooperation. But sometimes conflicts arise between them that require great national sacrifices in times of crises. That is why it is very important for the loyalty of the leaders of these nations to be free from doubt and scrutiny. It is in the national interest of these nations that the loyalties of their leaders do not come in the way of their making crucial and critical decisions.
Such a situation is what the Philippine Constitution seeks to address and ensure by insisting on a president who is a natural born citizen. Yet, despite its clarity to even a Grade School student, presidential candidate Poe still chose to question it. What is it with the presidency that Poe would covet it so much to the point of questioning the clear wisdom of the Constitution?
Poe is already a senator. That means she is already in a position to serve the country, if that is what she really wants. She has the opportunity not always available to each and every Filipino. In other words, she is already privileged to make a significant contribution. What more does she want? Poe mentions something about redeeming the legacy of her adoptive father, the late king of Philippine action movies, Fernando Poe Jr.
What legacy is she talking about? If FPJ had any legacy at all, it is in his contributions to Philippine cinema. FPJ never held public office for Grace Poe to come looking for his legacy in public service. Sure FPJ once ran for president but he lost. Sadly, the Philippines is a country of poor losers, and FPJ claims he was cheated. Worse, Grace Poe, on at least two occasions, claimed FPJ was cheated in Cebu.
Well, now that she is campaigning for the presidency, I challenge Poe to come to Cebu again and accuse the Cebuanos to their faces of having cheated FPJ in 2004. Poe not only has no respect for the constitution, she has no regard for the facts as well. She refuses to acknowledge that in 2004, all Cebu officials, from the governor down to the last barangay councilor, were all for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. There was no need for GMA to cheat in Cebu.
Besides, Cebuanos do not really give a hoot for movie stars and Poe can easily validate this by asking FPJ's buddy Joseph Estrada how he fared in Cebu when he ran for president in 1998. If Poe shares the Trillanes Principle of accusing without proving and claiming without verifying, then that is a matter of her own personal choice. But please leave the Cebuanos out of it. More importantly, spare the Philippines from another leadership anchored on moral uncertainty, if not bankruptcy.
Poe not only is not a natural born citizen, she in fact once renounced her Filipino citizenship to become an American. She can argue with a put-on face that that does not diminish her supposed continuing love for the Philippines. She can even add that her situation is not unlike that of many other Filipinos. But what she conveniently forgets is the fact that all those other Filipinos are not running for president. The choices they make are not matters of national security.
Poe cannot see, or refuses to see, that she is arguing from a different perspective, citing examples that are not in context with her own case. Worse, she is willfully aware of where she stands. That she would proceed despite knowing the infirmity and impossibility of her position only exposes her willingness to sacrifice national interest in favor of her own. There is only one term for it -- blind greed.
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