All talks about Poe lying mere babble

Reading former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban’s Feb. 28 column (“Comparing the gut issues,” Opinion) left me with a bad taste in the mouth. More particularly, I refer to the ultimate paragraph thereof where he quoted Commission on Elections Chair Andres Bautista, reputedly a learned man: “Accordingly, while I find that the statements of (Poe)… are false, I do not believe that… there was a deliberate intent on (her) part to mislead, misinform or hid a fact which would otherwise render a candidate ineligible.”

Wow! Who was he to declare positively that presidential candidate Grace Poe’s statement of being a “natural-born” Filipino was “false”? Did he point to any definitive doctrinal ruling to the effect that a foundling found in this country cannot be regarded a natural-born citizen? Or was he just expressing his own opinion, like everyone else in this country about this festering issue?

Who the heck died and made Bautista the final arbiter of what is true or false regarding that issue? Or, for that matter, the other Comelec members who went further to charge Poe with “deliberately and willfully lying” about it? Last I heard, the Supreme Court (which the Constitution says is the “sole judge” thereof and therefore has the final say as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal) has yet to come up with a final decision as to whether or not Poe enjoys the status of being a natural-born citizen of this country.

It reminds of what a textbook author once pontificated in our Philosophy class: There are always two views about an issue: my view and the wrong view! My own common sense tells me that when it comes to a question to which a clear answer has yet to be made, no one should be faulted for giving an answer not in conformity therewith. Thus, until the Supreme Court, as the PET, settles that issue with finality, everyone’s babble is just as annoying as everyone else’s!

—DINO M. CAPISTRANO, [email protected]