Wakee, eight others booted out of poll race

WITH no court order or ruling, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) canceled the certificate of candidacy of boxing manager Rex “Wakee” Salud effective last Jan. 15.

Comelec provincial supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said Comelec Resolution 9614 issued by Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes also removes Salud from the list of national and local candidates for this year’s elections.

Salud’s disqualification stemmed from the boxing manager’s failure to prove his residency in Cordova town for at least a year, one of several requirements for those running for local office.

Salud wants to run for mayor of Cordova against incumbent Mayor Adelino Sitoy.

“Salud can still appeal his case to the Supreme Court since it is his right to do so,” Castillano said.

The Comelec official said they will start printing the ballots on the third week of this month. Salud said he has yet to receive the Comelec decision on his case. “I will wait on my lawyer’s advice on how to proceed with my case,” Salud said.

Mayor Sitoy said the Comelec en banc decision was already expected since Salud failed to prove his residency claims.

Castillano also said their office declared eight persons running for various posts in Cebu City as nuisance candidates.

Ricardo Adlawan, Jose Cane, Juan Arenasa, Bert Abella, Gumersindo Canete, Erlinda Sy, and Elisco Tumulak filed candidacies for Congress.

Miguel Selim, a mayoralty candidate for Cebu City, was also declared a nuisance candidate.

Castillano said their names will be excluded in the ballots unless they can secure a restraining order from the Supreme Court.

“If we won’t restrain those making a mockery of the elections, the government will spend more to print their names on the ballots,” Castillano said. /Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol and Correspondent Renan Alangilan