Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and former Senator Bongbong Marcos (INQUIRER file photos)
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon on Saturday said the camp of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. seems to know the votes in the consolidated disqualification cases against him.
Guanzon, in a radio DWIZ interview, was asked about the statement of Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) criticizing her for publicly disclosing “with undue haste her minority opinion” on the disqualification cases.
“Ibig sabihin alam nila na may sinuhulan sila. Bakit niyo alam na talo ako? Kung talo ako dapat ako ang naghohold [sa decision], sabihin ko, ‘talo ako, hindi ko ipapamalita hanggang magretire ako,’” said the commissioner, who is set to retire on February 2.
(It means they know they have bribed someone. Why do you know that I lost? If I lost, I should be the one withholding the decision. I would think that since I lost, I will not announce it until I retire.)
“Bakit alam niya na dissenting ako, talo ako, ibig sabihin alam niya may sinuhulan sila? Bongbong Marcos, may sinuhulan ka ba dito? Sabihin mo nga sa akin, sagutin mo ‘yan sa mga tao, sagutin ni Bongbong Marcos, may sinuhulan ka ba dito sa Comelec? Sagutin mo, oo o hindi, bakit ‘yung mga tao mo alam na kung ano ang boto?” she added.
(Why do they know that I dissented? It means they know they bribed someone. Bongbong Marcos, did you bribe anyone here? Tell me and the people, Bongbong Marcos, did you bribe anyone here in the Comelec? Yes or no. Why do your people know the votes?)
Guanzon earlier revealed she voted to disqualify Marcos Jr. in the May elections on the ground that he committed moral turpitude for the non-payment of his income tax returns when he was still Ilocos Norte governor.
The resolution of the First Division handling the cases has yet to be released.
George Briones, general counsel of PFP, said Guanzon “illegally disclosed and leaked with undue haste” her decision to disqualify Marcos Jr.
“When Rowena Guanzon publicly disclosed with undue haste her minority opinion, before the submission of the other COMMISSIONERS’ OPINIONS, and prior to the promulgation of the complete decision, in order to put her fellow Commissioners under a cloud of suspicion with her bare suspicions that an unnamed politician probably intervened is double hearsay and pure tsismis and should be condemned by the Supreme Court as unworthy of a sitting commissioner of the Comelec,” he said in a statement.
Guanzon warned Marcos’ camp to not anger her, saying she also comes from a political family.
“Wala akong pakialam dito sa DQ DQ, tapusin ko lang ang trabaho ko, pero kapag ako ginagalit niyo na ako ngayon ah, huwag ninyo akong gagalitin kasi I come from a political family ha,” she said.
(I don’t care about these DQ cases. I just want to finish my job. But don’t irk me because I also come from a political family.)
INQUIRER.net has sought the comment of Marcos’ camp through his chief of staff Atty. Victor Rodriguez but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.