Cardema dared: Name Guanzon ‘emissary’

Lawmakers on Thursday challenged former National Youth Commission (NYC) chair Ronald Cardema to identify the congresswoman who, he claimed, had acted as go-between in the delivery of the alleged P2-million bribe for Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon.

“Since he [had] divulged all details, including the state [of health] of his wife and father, it would be best if he can reveal the identity of the lawmaker he [was] referring to,” ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap said at a weekly press briefing by party list lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

Cardema, whose application as substitute nominee of the Duterte Youth party list group was rejected by the Comelec, had earlier accused Guanzon of asking P2 million in exchange for the party list’s accreditation.

“He should file charges with hard evidence, to once and for all put closure to this controversy,” Yap said.

In a statement, Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said that Cardema “had implicated himself when he [admitted] that he had agreed to the supposed P2-million bribe for Commissioner Guanzon and other corrupt arrangements for the accreditation of his family-controlled party list.”

Guanzon meanwhile said she would ask the Comelec’s law department to check if Cardema may be held accountable for apparently engaging in partisan political activities while he was still NYC chair.

In her Twitter account, Guanzon said: “May 2, 2019. Cardema was Chair of NYC and chairman of Duterte Youth. He engaged in partisan political activity while in office. This is a crime. @COMELEC.” —WITH A REPORT FROM TINA G. SANTOS