BO-PK to help Councilor Pe appeal disqualification case

COUNCILOR Augustus Pe Jr.’s allies in the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) are prepared to provide legal assistance to him in his disqualification case before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña, leader of the BO-PK, made this commitment as he insisted that Team Rama vice mayoralty candidate Edgar Labella should also be disqualified if they insist on the three-term limit as basis for disqualifying Pe.

Osmeña said the position of vice mayor forms part of the legislative department where Labella is a member of as outgoing councilor.

Osmeña said Team Rama is also “deceiving” Cebuanos into believing that their north district candidate and talent manager Anabelle Rama, cousin of Mayor Michael Rama, is a resident of Cebu City.

He said the BO-PK didn’t bother to file a disqualification case against Anabelle because she will lose in the election anyway.

“A case will just give her (Anabelle) attention. She is so far behind. Let the people disqualify her,” Osmeña said.

Even if Pe doesn’t ask for help, Osmeña said he wanted to help him by explaining to the public the legal and valid basis for Pe’s campaign to win a council seat in the city’s south district.

A petition for disqualification was filed against Pe before the Comelec in Manila by Ronald Diola and Tisha Ylaya Gonzalez.

They argued that Pe is not qualified to seek election in the south district because he already served three terms as north district councilor.

They also questioned Pe’s claim on his transfer of residency from Capitol Site in the north district to Banawa in barangay Guadalupe in the south.

Comelec’s 1st division issued a disqualification order on Pe on citing as basis his lack in residency requirement.

Pe said he will file a motion for reconsideration (MR) after receipt of the official copy of the Comelec order.

He will also invite Comelec to conduct an ocular inspection of his Guadalupe home which he occupied for more than two years.

“The issue on the three term limit has been resolved in Jun Pe’s favor but I think that this should be explained to the public,” Osmeña said.

The congressman said Pe’s candidacy in the south district also complied with the three term limit rule.

“The real intent of the law if to give other people a chance to run. And Jun Pe is not running in the north but he is running in the south so he is giving other people a chance (to seek election in the north district),” the congressman told reporters. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac