Gordon claims UNA, LP approached him to file case vs Poe

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Red Cross Chair Richard "Dick" Gordon on Tuesday claimed that some members of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and the Liberal Party (LP) approached him to file a disqualification case against presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe.

In an interview with ANC's Headstart, Gordon revealed that some of his schoolmates from the University of the Philippines who were members of UNA and LP approached him to file a case against the senator.

"I'm not interested in getting it from the backdoor. I want to make sure that the people will realize that if they want to have a country where they're going to have real leaders, they have to have honest to goodness clean, fair elections," Gordon said.

Gordon added that the country does not have a clean and fair elections as of the moment and that "the field is not level."

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Gordon explained that he would like to believe that those who called him to file a disqualification case against Poe did so "in the context that her disqualification would mean [his] elevation to the present Senate."

The senatorial aspirant stressed that he dismissed such talks on the grounds of delicadeza. He clarified that those who mentioned the disqualification case against Poe were due to partisan politics nor had emanated from the camps of other presidential aspirants.

"I believe that the matter of Sen. Poe's qualifications for national office has already been referred to the proper legal venues, and I deem it counter-productive to say anything more about this issue, aside from the statements I have already made," Gordon said.

He added that holding debates for presidential and vice presidential aspirants during the campaign period is appropriate.

Gordon, who is seeking to return to the Senate, is a guest candidate of both UNA and Poe's senatorial ticket.

Meanwhile, former Sen. Francisco "Kit" Tatad filed a new disqualification case against Poe before the Commission on Elections, seeking to invalidate her candidacy for president.

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