LP didn’t try to influence my vote in Grace Poe case —Bam Aquino

Senator Bam Aquino said Wednesday that the Liberal Party didn't try to influence his vote on the disqualification case filed against Senator Grace Poe before the Senate Electoral Tribunal.

“In fairness to my partymates, wala namang sumubok na impluwensiyahan ang aking desisyon,” said Aquino, a member of the SET and one of the five members that voted to dismiss the disqualification case against Poe.

The SET junked the case filed by Rizalito David on a 5-4 vote.

Poe is running for president as an independent and has drafted Senator Francis Escudero as her running mate.

Aquino is the campaign manager of LP vice presidential bet Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo. The LP's standard-bearer is former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

“Ang pagiging daang matuwid ng aming partido, hindi po ito slogan lang. Ito po’y totoo, ito po’y nasa puso naming lahat at kung nasa daang matuwid ka, talagang kailangan iyong prinsipyo mo at konsensiya ang gagamitin mo,” Aquino said.

Aquino was one of the five members of SET who voted Tuesday for the junking of the disqualification case filed by defeated senatorial candidate Rizalito David. Others were Senators Vicente Sotto III, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, and Cynthia Villar.

Those who voted in favor of the case were Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, SET chairman; Teresita Leonardo-de Castro; and Arturo Brion, and Senator Nancy Binay.

Aquino explained that he voted against the disqualification case not because of Poe but in consideration of the foundlings in the country.

“Ang desisyong ito, hindi po si Sen. Poe ang iniisip natin. Ang iniisip natin ay kung ano ang magiging implikasyon sa libu-libong bata na naabandona sa ating bansa, at ito ang naging basehan ng ilan sa amin sa SET,” he said.

He added that those who decided that a foundling is a natural-born citizen, based their vote on international law which states that a child found in a country is presumed a natural-born citizen of that country.

“Kung ginawa po nating naturalized ang mga foundling, iyong mga karapatan at pribilehiyo na maaring maibigay sa mga foundling bilang natural born citizen ay mawawala at isa ay maituturing na naturalized citizen. Magiging problema po iyan sa paghahanap ng ibang propesyon, sa pagiging doctor, nurse at kung siyempre ay kung gusto nilang manungkulan sa gobyerno, magiging problema rin po iyan,” he said.

Aquino said politicians are expected to make political decisions but he believed that they should also take into consideration principles, conscience, and the public.

“Ang expectation kasi, sa pulitika, dapat pulitikal lahat ang desisyon mo. Pero paminsan-minsan naman po, kailangan nating mag-isip gamit ang prinsipyo, gamit ang konsensiya at gamit ang tiwala  na ibinigay ng taumbayan,” he said. -NB, GMA News