Rowena Guanzon to contest indictment over ‘info leak’

Former Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of Rowena Guanzon

BACOLOD CITY—Former election commissioner Rowena Guanzon has accused the Ombudsman of using “patently baseless” corruption charges to harass her.

“I am determined to continue this fight for integrity, transparency, and public accountability before our courts, where I have faith that truth, right and justice shall prevail,” she said in a statement late Wednesday.

This was after the Ombudsman, in a Sept. 20 order, ruled that Guanzon did “not raise any new or substantial legitimate ground or reason” to make it reconsider its decision to indict her for disclosing “confidential” information on the disqualification cases against then-presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2022 polls.

The cases were filed by Citizen’s Crime Watch chair Ferdinand Topacio and president Diego Magpantay, who accused her of disclosing details of the disqualification cases in two television interviews when she was a Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner.

Guanzon argued that she was innocent of the charges and that she could not breach a nonexistent rule of confidentiality.

“My legal team is currently studying the Ombudsman’s order and my available remedies, but the following is already clear: the Ombudsman refused to give me a full opportunity to defend myself against the baseless accusations of Mr. Topacio and Mr. Magpantay, ignoring the free speech and constitutional arguments that I made in seeking its reconsideration,” she said.

Guanzon maintained that her statements in 2022 were driven by “constitutional necessity” because of her duty to uphold the independence of the Comelec and preserve the integrity of the elections.

Right to know

“The public had a right to know the reasons why the disqualification cases were being delayed, and I simply fulfilled my sworn duty to uphold the Constitution and the public’s faith in the ballot box,” the retired poll body official said.

“It is unfortunate that instead of running after truly corrupt officials…the Ombudsman has chosen to give oxygen to a patently baseless complaint that was filed to harass and vex me into silence,” Guanzon said.

In its ruling, initially released in July, the antigraft office said that Guanzon acquired valuable information relating to the disqualification cases by virtue of her position and she prematurely revealed the information.