MANILA, Philippines, March 3 (UPI) -- Philippines' Supreme Court ruled Wednesday movie star Fernando Poe Jr., is a natural-born Filipino, paving the way for him to seek the presidency.
In a 53-page decision, the court said a lower court dismissal of a petition to disqualify Poe from seeking the presidency because of his mother's U.S. citizenship was "not ... a grave abuse of discretion."
It said Poe was "a natural born Filipino citizen under the terms of the 1935 Constitution since his father was a Filipino.
Eight judges voted for Poe, five voted against him and one abstained.
Poe, one of the country's most-popular movie stars is seen as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's closest rival in the May 10 election.
The petitioners had argued Poe, born out of wedlock in 1939 to a Filipino father and an American mother, could not seek the presidency because his father had not recognized the actor as his child.
A decision to bar the popular movie actor from seeking election could have caused riots.
The petitioners have 15 days to appeal the decision.
