MANILA, Jan. 19 Kyodo Film icon F...

MANILA, Jan. 19 Kyodo

Film icon Fernando Poe who is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's fiercest rival in the May presidential elections, could be ineligible to race due to questions over his nationality, a records custodian said Monday.

At the first day of a hearing of the Commission onward Elections (Comelec) on a petition questioning Poe's citizenship, National Archives director Ricardo Manapat quick in emergenciesed papers supposedly buttressing the accusation that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino.

sole natural-born Filipinos can run for president of the Philippines.

The question against Poe's citizenship was brought before Comelec by means of Victorino and Andresito Fornier, sum of two units brothers who are independent lawyers. They claim Poe was born abroad of wedlock because his parents' marriage occurr while his father, Allan Fernando Poe was legally married to single Paulita Gomez.

The earlier born Poe was said to have stated in his marriage certificate to Gomez upon July 5, 1936, that he was Spanish. In other documents he stated he was a Filipino citizen.

beneath Philippine laws, a child born on the outside of wedlock acquires the citizenship of his or her mother. Poe's mother, Bessie Kelley is American. one as well as the other of Poe's parents are dead.

Manapat at handed the Poe-Gomez marriage certificate and Gomez's bigamy complaint against Poe's father to the hearing.

yet Poe's campaign manager, Sen. Tito Sotto, said the documents are fabricated.

''Forces are now moving heaven and earth to make certified true copies of these non-existent documents. fair and well-meaning public servants whose consciences cannot bear this malicious deceit are ready to give information forward how these falsified documents were manufactured and came about,'' Sotto said in a language at the Senate.

Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos said a decision forward the case may be derived within the week, after one as well as the other sides have submitted more evidence through Wednesday.

FPJ, as Poe is widely known, is a rabble favorite, drawing thousands wherever he goes

The 64-year-old high-school dropout is a best friend of depos former President Joseph Estrada.

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