Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon on Monday said she will order the camp of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to present a notarized medical certificate after the former senator skipped the poll body’s hearing on his disqualification cases.
“I will order the doctor and Atty. [Vic] Rodriguez to show cause or require his physician to have his medical certificate notarized,” Guanzon said in a tweet Monday.
Rodriguez is Marcos’ chief of staff and spokesperson.
So why didnt his lead lawyer submit a medical certificate dated Jan 6 if this is true ? I will order the doctor and Atty Rodriguez to show cause or require his physician to have his medical certificate notarized.@jabjimenez @COMELEC @cnnphilippines @gmanews @InquirerMobile https://t.co/gkPR4HuNVk
— Rowena Guanzon (@rowena_guanzon) January 9, 2022
On Jan. 7, Comelec’s preliminary conference on Marcos’ disqualification cases was delayed for an hour as the poll body waited for his medical certificate to justify his absence from the hearing.
His camp eventually presented a medical certificate stating that the former senator needed to rest due to “difficulty speaking and a painfully congested throat.”
However, Marcos was later on found to have been well enough to have been able to virtually attend a radio interview to talk about his platforms on the afternoon of Jan. 6, a day before the preliminary conference.
According to Rodriguez, Marcos was already feeling unwell on Jan. 6, but he opted to proceed with a scheduled interview.
But Guanzon appeared to have misgivings.
Now I have to rewuire the doctor who examined Marcos Jr to have his medical cert notarized and indicate his medical license number. https://t.co/Z7wuhyO5KE
— Rowena Guanzon (@rowena_guanzon) January 9, 2022
“Now I have to require the doctor who examined Marcos Jr. to have his medical cert[ificate] notarized and indicate his medical license number,” Guanzon said in another tweet.
The presidential aspirant’s camp had clarified that Marcos was only told to isolate himself in the morning of the preliminary conference on Jan. 7.