INDEPENDENT presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe, who has been fighting for the rights of children in need of special protection, said the country needs leaders who not only respect human rights but also uphold them in the face of challenges.
Poe, a foundling whose right to be elected to public office is being questioned by her political opponents, said a government that allows the rights of its constituents to be violated will not be able to lead the people.
Poe is the subject of four petitions before the Commission on Elections. All were filed by the allies of other presidential contenders who are seeking to remove her from the presidential race, and they claim she can’t run for president because she is not a natural-born citizen as required by law.
Another petition to disqualify her as a senator has been decided in Poe’s favor by the Senate Electoral Tribunal, but the petitioner has appealed the decision before the Supreme Court.
“All persons are born on this earth with rights whether rich or poor, so everybody should be included and nobody should be left behind,” Poe said.
“Included here is the right to choose a leader.”
Poe said a government official abusing human rights is violating international Human Rights and has no right to lead.
She made her remarks as the world marked International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was made and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 67 years ago in Paris.
The Philippines was among the UN members that drafted the Declaration, which is hailed as the most important piece of document to emerge from World War II.
Poe’s camp has often cited the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in defending her right to run for president despite being a foundling. Poe was abandoned at the Jaro church in Iloilo and was later adopted by actors Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces.
“We all have the right to a nationality, the right to belong to a country,” Poe said.
“I have always said that abandoned children are entitled to the same rights that all people enjoy. The circumstances of their birth do not make them lesser humans.” Poe said the Philippines’ Supreme Court, in its various judgments, has recognized the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and considers these rights in force in the country. It’s the reason she is confident in taking her legal battle to the highest court of the land.