PRESIDENTIAL wannabe Rizalito David on Tuesday questioned his inclusion in the list of candidates for the 2016 elections who are at risk of being disqualified as nuisance candidates by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In an interview, David insisted he was qualified to run for president in next year’s polls being a legitimate member of the Ang Kapatiran Party as shown by his Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA).
“I think there is an error in the appreciation of our documents…We are being treated as independent,” said David.
The Ang Kapatiran Party has disowned the candidacy of David, saying it was not sanctioned by the party.
David, who ran and lost in the 2013 senatorial race, stressed he should still be considered as a qualified presidential bet even if he is declared an independent candidate.
David said his financial capabilities should also not be used as a reason for him to be declared as a nuisance bet since it is not a requirement to run for president under the 1987 Constitution.
David explained he was being treated an independent candidate because of the letter sent to the Comelec by Ang Kapatiran Party president Norman Cabrera, saying the party is not fielding any candidate, David included, in the 2016 elections.
As this developed, David accused Poe’s camp of engaging in delaying tactics for asking for an extension in filing her counter-affidavits to the disqualification cases filed against her.
“They are just buying time. They don’t have any answer to our questions so they had to buy time,” said David in an interview.
The Comelec has granted Poe’s request for a 10-day extension to file her counter-affidavits.
But Poe’s lawyer, George Garcia, said there was no basis for David’s claims they were struggling to respond to the accusations of the latter.
“That is why we asked for an extension because we have so many answers to their very few questions,” Garcia said in a separate interview.
Aside from that of David, two more disqualification cases have been filed against Poe, who is leading all presidential surveys for next year’s elections.