MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Two divisions of the Philippines’ Commission on Elections (COMELEC) have already issued rulings disqualifying Senator Grace Poe from running for president in the 2016 elections due to questions about her citizenship and residency status.  The COMELEC en banc still needs to issue its own ruling and chances are this case could be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Poe, and her vice presidential running mate Senator Chiz Escudero are preparing for the worst.

In the event that Poe is disqualified, the senator already has her pick for a substitute candidate: newly-crowned Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

In Philippine politics, popularity and name recognition could spell victory for any poliltical candidate.  That’s why presidents, senators, congressmen, and mayors have popular celebrities among their ranks — boxers, basketball players, film actors and actresses, journalists.

After winning the Miss Universe crown last Sunday, Wurtzbach is probably the most popular celebrity in the country today, more popular than boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, a congressman who is running for senator in 2016.

Although Wurtzbach was born in Stuttgart, Germany (her father is German), she is considered a natural-born Filipino in accordance with the Philippine Constitution because her mother is a Filipino citizen. So birthers will not have any valid case to disqualify Wurtzbach on citizenship grounds.

The Philippines adheres to Jus sanguinis (right of blood) which is the legal principle that, at birth, an individual acquires the nationality of his/her natural parent/s.

Watch for the big headline next summer: “Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach Is Crowned Philippine President!”