MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has set a date for the oral arguments on the citizenship case filed against Senator Grace Poe.

The High Court announced on Wednesday, December 16, it will hear oral arguments on the case on January 19, 2016. It also asked Poe’s camp to comment, within 15 days, on the petition for certiorari filed by losing senatorial candidate Rizalito David.

David, who sought the disqualification of Poe as senator, lost in the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) with a 5-4 vote.

He questioned Poe’s qualification as a senator, arguing that since she is a foundling, there is a possibility that she is not a natural-born Filipino and should have been disqualified as senator.

Majority of the SET voted in favor of Poe and ruled that she is a natural-born citizen under the 1935 and 1987 Constitutions “as she is a citizen of the Philippines from birth, without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect [her] Philippine citizenship.”

All 3 justices in the tribunal voted to disqualify Poe: Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, and associate justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro and Arturo Brion. (READ: Why did SC justices vote to disqualify Grace Poe?)

Carpio earlier said all 3 of them will inhibit from the case.

David is seeking a reversal of the SET decision at the SC. He believes the opinions of the 3 justices in the SET will “carry weight” now that the case goes to the High Court.

“The 3 are distinguished justices, they are one of the most brilliant, if not the most brilliant justices in the country and we believe that their opinions reflect the correct interpretation of the constitution,” David’s lawyer Manuelito Luna earlier said. – Rappler.com