Poe answers citizenship issue at SET

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The camp of Sen. Grace Poe filed a memorandum before the Senate Electoral Tribunal on Tuesday (October 6).

The memo responded to allegations that the senator is not a natural-born Filipino and should not have been allowed to run in the 2013 elections.

Poe's legal counsel, Justin Mendoza, said the petitioner, Rizalito David, failed to prove that Poe should be disqualified from the Senate

Mendoza added that international laws and treaties state that a foundling is considered a natural-born citizen of the country where he or she was found.

This, therefore, applies to Poe, as David wasn't able to prove that her parents are foreigners.

"This is a quo waranto case where the petitioner has to show that the sitting senator is disqualified, so he was not able to establish or that burden," Mendoza said.

"The petitioner should have shown that the parents of Senator Poe are foreigners because that is the only way you can exclude her from the enumeration of citizens under the 1935 Constitution."