Fficrlcgrro
Business
Wednesday, August
Gua,nzon : C,atdema'deliberately
misrepresented his eligibility'
BY GERARD ]{AVAI
ELECTIONS Commissioner Ro-
wena Guanzon yesterday said for-
mer National Youth Commission
chairman Ronald Cardema "delib-
erately misrepresented his eligibil-
ity''to qo"li& as the first nominee
of Duterte Youth party-list.
Guanzon said Cardema inten-
tionally committed material mis-
representation to dupe the Com-
mission on Elections (Comelec)
into approving his bid to become
a member of the House of Rcp-
resentatives.
"It is beyond contest that re-
spondent Cardema made a false
representation in his CONA (Cer-
tificate of Nomination and Ac-
ceptance) when he declared therein
that he is eligible and possesses all
the qualifications to be a nominee
of Duterte Youth," Guaozon said
in her 15-page separate concur-
ring opinion to the Comelec First
Division decision striking out the
party-list group's first nominee, ,
Inskht
7 ,2OLg
"Respondent Catdema deliber-
ately and intentionally misrepre-
sented his eligibilityin his CONA,"
she added.
Guanzon said Cardema used
his position as founder and chair-
person of the party-list group in
orchestrating his failed political
ambition.
She noted how Cardema actively
participated in the pnccesb of reg-
istering the party-list as a sqctoral
pmq for the youth and how he
choreographed the vdthdrawal of all
of theDuterteYouth.
five nominees
She noted .that after the with-
dtawal, Cardema nominated him-
self at the last minute as the new
nominee of the group despite the
fact that he was alrcddy over-aged
at34 to represent the- party. .
"The circumstances surround-
ing the across the board withdrawal
-of all five original nominees and
the subsequent nomination of
Cardema a daybefore the elections,
who is patendy ineligible to sit as
representative of Duterte Youth,
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speak resoundingly of a clear at-
tempt not iust to circumvent the
law and the rules, but also to hide
from the electorate C*dema's
ineligibility as nominee of Duterte
Youthr" Guanzon said.
In a statement, poll watchdog
group Kontra Daya called on the
public"to remain vigilant despite
disqualificition of Catdema. '
Kontra Daya Convenor Danilo
Arao said the public must not let
their guard down against Cardema
and the Duterte Youth group as
they can still appeal and ask that
the decision be reversed.
"Despite this favorable decision
by the First Division, however,
Kontra Daya calls on the people to
temain vigilant because Catdema
and his supporters could appeal
before the Comelec en banc,"
Arao said.
Uridet existirig laws, Cardema
has give days ftom receipt of the
decision to file a Motion for Re-
consideration with the Comelec
en banc.