DARRYL JOHN ESGUERRA / INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Commissioner Rowena Guanzon bared on Wednesday that she has filed a memorandum to probe on the material misrepresentation that Ronald Cardema may have committed when he filed his Certificate of Nomination before.
If the law department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) found grounds that Cardema indeed committed a material misrepresentation, a criminal case would be filed against him, she said.
“I have sent a memorandum to initiate an investigation on the probability that Ronald Cardema may have committed a criminal offense of material misrepresentation by stating under oath in his certificate of nomination that he is qualified to be representative of the youth sector,” Guanzon said in a press briefing.
“If the law department recommends that there is probable cause, we will submit that to the commission en banc for approval. If the en banc approves it, it will be filed against him for violation the Omnibus Election Code,” she added.
Guanzon was referring to the alleged misdeclaration done by Cardema when he submitted his application to the Comelec, saying that he is eligible to run as a representative of a youth party-list group.
Under the Party-list law, representatives of youth party-list groups should only be aged between 25 to 30 years on Election Day. Cardema is 34 years old.
The Comelec nevertheless denied the nomination bid of Cardema to be the representative of Duterte Youth.
READ: Comelec cancels Cardema’s nomination bid for Duterte youth