SET Case No. 001-15 (RIZALITO Y. DAVID, Petitioner, vs. MARY GRACE POE-LLAMANZARES, Respondent.)
Quo Warranto: In this Petition for Quo Warranto filed on 06 August 2015, Petitioner Rizalito Y. David questioned the qualifications of sitting Senator Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares on two grounds, namely: that being a foundling whose parents are unknown, she is not a natural born Filipino citizen; and that she lacks the residency requirement provided by law.
After the issues had been joined, the Tribunal called the parties and their respective counsels to a Preliminary Conference on 11 September 2015. During the Preliminary Conference, Petitioner David agreed to abandon the issue of residency on the ground of prescription.
Thereafter, on 21 September 2015, the Tribunal heard the parties in Oral Argument.
Status: On 17 November 2015, the Tribunal promulgated its Decision, dismissing the petition for quo warranto. The Tribunal ruled that Senator Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares is a natural-born citizen under the 1935 Constitution and continues to be a natural-born citizen as defined under the 1987 Constitution. The Tribunal further ruled that she validly reacquired her natural-born citizenship under Republic Act No. 9225 and validly renounced her American citizenship.
The Decision of the Tribunal was upheld by the Supreme Court in its Decision promulgated on 20 September 2016 in G.R. No. 221538 (David vs. SET and Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares).