FILE PHOTO: Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. INQUIRER/RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon did not mention any specific names about those allegedly trying to delay the release of the decision of the poll body’s First Division on the consolidated disqualification case against Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
But she dropped some clues on Friday concerning these individuals – that among them is a politician.
“Iniipit nila dyan kay Commissioner Aimee Ferolino[-Ampoloquio]… politiko ito. Hindi naman ito gagawin ni Commissioner Aimee na ‘di sya nakasandal sa taong malakas, ‘di ba?” Guanzon said in an interview over GMA-7’s “The Mangahas Interviews” when asked to clarify where those people involved in a “conspiracy to delay” the resolution belong.
(They are constraining Commissioner Aimee Ferolino-Ampoloquio… this is a politician. Commissioner Aimee will not do this unless she is leaning on someone influential, right?)
“Si Presidente [Rodrigo] Duterte nga di nakikialam, ‘di ba? Eh bakit nakikialam kayo, eh mismong Presidente nga hindi nakikialam, wala nga kayong kandidato eh. Hindi nyo nga kandidato ‘yan si Marcos Jr. eh. Ano ba, salungat kayo sa partido niyo?” she added.
(Even President Rodrigo Duterte is not interfering. So why are you interfering if even the president does not want to be involved? You have no candidate, Marcos Jr. is not your candidate. Come on, are you against your party?)
In a follow-up, Guanzon was asked if the person she was referring to is from PDP-Laban as she has mentioned that the political party has no candidate for president in the upcoming polls.
“Pwede. Pwede rin doon sa mga Bongbong Marcos, wala nang kwan, hindi ‘yung mga loyalist,” Guanzon replied.
(Maybe. It could also be from those supporting Bongbong Marcos, but not the loyalists.)
To recall, the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi – and backed by Duterte – has no candidate for president in the May elections after Senators Rolando “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go revoked their respective certificates of candidacy or COCs.
The other PDP-Laban wing led by Senators Manny Pacquiao and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel also has no official candidate for president as Pacquiao will be running for president under the PROMDI party as indicated in his COC. But Pimentel still pronounced Pacquiao as his PDP-Laban faction’s candidate for president.
Pressed further if those people could have come from the PDP-Laban Cusi faction or a senator and if she is ready to identify them, Guanzon said: “Hindi ako sure kung (Am not sure if) PDP-[Laban], pero malamang senador (but probably a senator).”
In a Viber message, Cusi denied the issue. He also said that his party does not feel alluded to by Guanzon’s revelations.
“Definitely not true,” Cusi told INQUIRER.net. “No. We have no reason to do it.”
INQUIRER.net has reached out to Ferolino-Ampoloquio for a comment on this matter but has yet to get a reply as of this posting.
Ferolino-Ampoloquio is the commissioner-ponente tasked to write the resolution on the consolidated disqualification case against Marcos Jr.
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