FILE PHOTOS. Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and former Senator Bongbong Marcos.
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon got an ally from left-leaning personalities and groups after revealing that she voted to disqualify former senator Bongbong Marcos from the 2022 presidential race.
But both Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes and labor leader and presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman have expressed concerns about the Comelec official’s admission that there was a politician who tried to influence the poll body by delaying the decision on the disqualification petitions against Marcos.
“We welcome the position taken by Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon in the matter of disqualification of Bongbong Marcos on the grounds of moral turpitude. She is correct in citing Marcos Jr.’s repeated failure to pay taxes and the corresponding fines as her basis to disqualify him from the presidential race,” Reyes said.
“We raise concern over Guanzon’s claim that a certain politician was trying to delay the issuance of a decision by the Comelec First Division after learning of her vote to disqualify Marcos. Who is this politician trying to influence the Comelec? Shouldn’t there be an investigation by the en banc and shouldn’t this politician be cited in contempt?” he asked
De Guzman on the other hand believes that the politician’s identity should be revealed so that the public knows who he or she is, and for appropriate charges to be filed.
Recently, Guanzon revealed that she is voting in favor of disqualifying Marcos, as the failure to pay the proper taxes which he was convicted of, is an offense involving moral turpitude.
She also said that a politician is trying to intervene by asking the case to be delayed further. The attempt to delay the decision, observers believe, is aimed at waiting until Guanzon retires on February 2 — which Guanzon said has no effect as her vote would still be counted.
READ: Guanzon for Marcos DQ, sees ‘delay, interference’
READ: Macalintal says Guanzon liable for revealing vote to disqualify Bongbong Marcos
Guanzon is the presiding commissioner of Comelec’s First Division, which is handling three disqualification cases filed activist groups including Akbayan party-list, the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, and a group claiming to be the original members of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP)
According to Guanzon, it was proven that Marcos did not pay his taxes for four years when he was vice governor and later governor of Ilocos Norte and was convicted by a Regional Trial Court. With a report from Jericho Zafra, INQUIRER.net trainee