(UPDATE) RETIRED Elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon denied allegations she was harassing the nominees of the P3PWD party-list group to elbow her way to sit as its representative in the 19th Congress.
Former National Youth Commission (NYC) chairman Ronald Cardema accused Guanzon of allegedly pressuring the five nominees of the P3PWD party-list to resign by declaring incapacity so that she could assume the post as the group’s first nominee.
P3WD won one seat in the party-list elections.
Cardema also alleged that Guanzon has been misrepresenting herself as the nominee of the P3PWD party-list during the campaign period.
Guanzon, however, said the party-list’s nominee, Grace Santibañez Yeneza, has already been sworn in as the first nominee of P3PWD party-list and that whoever sits as the group’s representative will definitely advance its advocacy.
The P3PWD will push the legislative agenda that will help improve the livelihood of persons with disabilities and the elderly.
Guanzon added that she will be honored if she will be the one to be chosen to represent P3PWD in Congress.
Guanzon, however, countered that Cardema is just out for revenge when, as Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner, she objected to him being the first nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list because he was overaged.
Under the party-list law, a nominee of the youth sector must be at least 25 years old but not more than 30 years old on election day. However, Cardema was already 34 years old when he submitted his certificate of nomination and acceptance for the Duterte Youth party-list to the Comelec. He was later disqualified as the first nominee of the youth party-list group.
Also last year, Guanzon said that Cardema may have committed another possible violation of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) for engaging in partisan political activities by being an official of the NYC and Duterte Youth at the same time.
The OEC prohibits any officer or employee in the civil service, except those holding political offices, to directly or indirectly, intervene in any election campaign or engage in any partisan political activity, except to vote or to preserve public order, if he is a peace officer.
In her Twitter account, Guanzon said that Cardema made public his accusations on Friday that the former NYC official only knows gossip (“Puro siya tsismis. Marites”).
“What has Cardema accomplished in the Youth Commission? He is receiving a salary from our taxes. Instead of working, he spends government time on trying to damage my reputation,” she said.
Guanzon also said that she refuses to debate with Cardema because “he is not even a lawyer.”
“Cardema has no job after June 30. No college degree. No job. Why doesn’t he just challenge me to a duel?” she said.
Guanzon said she will file appropriate charges against Caldema.
“That Ronald Cardema is annoying me. If he doesn’t stop, I will file a criminal case against him. He is a government official; he should act with courtesy at all times,” said Guanzon.
She also dared Cardema to present evidence to support his allegations.
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