Press Release
February 10, 2016

Drilon urges SC to hold marathon hearings on Poe DQ case

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon expressed his disappointment with the Supreme Court for having "no sense of urgency" in deciding the disqualification case against presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe.

"I am not happy with the pace of trial in the Supreme Court. It appears that the High Court lacks a sense of urgency. This is not an ordinary case. It will have a vast impact on our future," Drilon said.

Drilon, who is seeking a re-election under the administration's Liberal Party, said that it is within the Supreme Court's power to hold marathon hearings on cases of this magnitude and importance.

"Having oral arguments once a week, that is not giving it the urgency it deserves. I'm not dictating on the court, but it is very frustrating because we know for certain that the court could hasten the process by conducting marathon hearings but it has chosen not do so," Drilon said.

He thus urged the court "to give the case extra ordinary attention, so that it can be decided earlier in order to protect the integrity and credibility of the May 2016 polls."

Drilon recalled that in a similar plea in the past, the Supreme Court rebuffed him by saying "we know what we are doing." Drilon said "such arrogance does not have a place in a public discourse."

"The issue cannot be left hanging. The case is posing serious threats to fair and credible elections in May and only the Supreme Court's prompt action can eliminate that threat by resolving the case at the soonest," Drilon stressed.

"As I've said, the election is a basic tenet of democracy and any threat to it should be immediately resolved," he concluded.

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