Former Commissioner Rowena Guanzon of the Commission on Elections maintained on Friday, February 11, that presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should be disqualified from running for president.
Commissioner Aimee Ferolino of the Comelec First Division in her resolution released Thursday dismissed the consolidated petitions for the disqualification of Marcos for lack of merit.
Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said the Comelec First Division decision is a morale booster for the supporters of Marcos, whom he expects to further grow in numbers.
“Let the people decide who should be president in the May 9 polls. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” said Ferrer, a staunch supporter of Marcos.
“Ferolino chose to turn a blind eye to the circumstances” and delayed the release of her resolution so her vote would not be counted, said Guanzon, who retired as Comelec commissioner on February 2.
“Every one of us must defend our country from liars, corrupt and incompetent people,” Guanzon said.
It took Ferolino 30 days to come out with her decision that Marcos should not be disqualified, said Guanzon, who is from Cadiz City in Negros Occidental.
Delaying the decision is a violation of Section 3C of the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Guanzon said.
Ferolino said there is no law that penalizes one who fails to file his income tax return, how can that be when Marcos Jr. was already convicted by the Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals? Guanzon asked.
He has not even paid a court ordered fine until now, which is a criminal offense, she said, adding that she expects the First Division decision to go all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Ferolino argued that Marcos Jr. did not voluntarily and intentionally violate the law, Guanzon said.
“Is he stupid that he did not know that he should file an ITR (Income Tax Return)? Doesn’t he claim to be an Oxford graduate? Why doesn’t he know something as basic as that?” Guanzon asked.
Ferolino has denied deliberately delaying the release of the decision.
The following is the complete reply of Guanzon to Ferolino’s decision:
