spot_img
28.1 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Comelec junks Duterte’s motion versus poll exec

- Advertisement -

Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon won’t inhibit from the four disqualification cases against presidential bet, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, that are being heard by the Comelec First Division.

In a three-page Order, the Comelec First Division dismissed the motion of Duterte seeking  Guanzon’s inhibition from the consolidated cases for lack of merit.

“In view of the foregoing, the Comelec First Division hereby denies the Motions for Disqualification and/or Inhibition for lack of merit,” the Comelec ruled.

The poll body stressed that the motion failed to meet the requirements for a mandatory inhibition for a member of the commission.

Under the Comelec Rules of Procedure, “no member shall sit in any case in which her or his spouse or child is related to any party within the sixth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, or to the counsel of any of the parties within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, or in which he has publicly expressed prejudgment as may be shown by convincing proof . . .”

- Advertisement -

The Comelec also cited the memorandum of Guanzon refusing to inhibit from the case based on her own determination on the question of her disqualification.

In a memorandum, Guanzon stressed that there is no valid reason for her to inhibit in the disqualification cases of Duterte.

“The grounds for disqualification the Respondent cited are not for mandatory inhibition, thus it is my discretion whether to inhibit or not,” the Comelec official said.

“Wherefore, I am not inhibiting from the cases of Respondent Rodrigo Duterte,” she added.

Guanzon denied that she has prejudged the case of Duterte when she became the lone dissenter in the earlier decision of the Comelec en banc to accept the Certificate of Candidacy for president of the mayor.

She said her dissenting opinion should not be taken as meaning she wants to have Duterte disqualified as petitioned by broadcaster Ruben Castor.   

“There is no truth to the Respondent’s claim. My dissenting vote on that resolution does not show that I believe, before the hearings began, that the CoC of Duterte must be canceled. It merely means that I wanted the Castor vs Duterte case to be heard before I vote to accept his CoC,” Guanzon said.

As to her supposed close relationship with the lawyer of one of the petitioners versus Duterte, Guanzon reiterated that Atty. Maria Sheila Bazar is neither her relative nor sorority sister.

“She is a member of a rival sorority group in UP. She is a member of the now inactive Gender Justice Network, which is open to women lawyers from all colleges of law and law students. She is, like myself, a member of the UP Women Lawyers’ Circle because we graduated from the UP College of Law,” Guanzon said. 

She added that the social media accounts of the Gender Justice Network have long been dormant and that the pictures presented by Duterte’s camp were taken way back in 2011.

To note, Bazar is the lawyer of University of the Philippines  Student Council Chairman John Paulo Delas Nieves, who is one of the petitioners versus Duterte, along with Castor, nuisance presidential candidate Rizalito David, and lawyer Ely Pamatong.

Guanzon  assured the public that despite having met many lawyers during the course of her career, “none of them expect a favorable decision from me by reason of our association.”

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles