Quezon City voter files disqualification case vs Crisologo at Comelec

Sophia Lorenza Zamora (left), accompanied by Atty. Socorro Maricel Nepomuceno (right), files a disqualification case against Quezon City mayoral candidate Vicente Crisologo at the Commission on Elections main office in Intramuros, Manila on Monday, April 20, 2019. INQUIRER.net/Faye Orellana

MANILA, Philippines — A disqualification case was filed Monday before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against Quezon City mayoralty candidate Vicente Crisologo.

Accompanied by her lawyer, Atty. Socorro Maricel Nepomuceno, complainant Sophia Lorenza Zamora went to Comelec’s main office in Intramuros, Manila and filed the disqualification case, citing Crisologo must be deemed ineligible to seek public office having been convicted for arson, and arson with homicide even if the mayoral bet was granted conditional pardon.

Crisologo is running in the Quezon City mayoral race against incumbent Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and former congressman Ismael “Chuck” Mathay III.

Both Zamora and Nepomuceno were quick to clarify they were not connected in any way to any of Crisologo’s rivals.

“If there’s a candidate na you do not believe in, or maybe you detest, maybe you had experiences with that candidate na you would not want to experience in a larger scale, the best remedy, and I think the wisest remedy is to prevent that candidate from holding more power,” Nepomuceno said in an interview.

“Great abuse of power will ultimately hurt ‘yung residents lang rin naman,” she added.

Zamora said Crisologo should be disqualified from being a candidate and to hold any government office since Section 12 of the Omnibus Election Code states that “any person who has been declared by competent authority insane or incompetent, or has been sentenced by final judgment for subversion, insurrection, rebellion or for any offense for which he has been sentenced to a penalty of more than eighteen months or for a crime involving moral turpitude, shall be disqualified to be a candidate and to hold any office, unless he has been given plenary pardon or granted amnesty.”

Asked why she opposes Crisologo’s candidacy, Zamora said the politician resorted to harassment to win votes when he ran for Congress. Crisologo was representative of Quezon City’s first district.

“Nananakot po siya, binibili po niya ‘yung mga boto ng tao niya sa amin, so harassment po, pambu-bully po,” Zamora said.

“Gusto ko pong matigil na po ‘yun para… hindi na po siya pwedeng tumakbo sa kahit na anong position. So magiging normal na po ang lahat sa amin – hindi lang po sa District 1 kundi sa buong Quezon City po,” she added.

INQUIRER.net is trying to reach Crisologo to get his side on the matter but has yet to receive his response, as of this posting.