Jonkie Ouano shows his certificate of candidacy at the Comelec office. (CDN PHOTO / IZOBELLE PULGO)
JONKIE Ouano filed yesterday his certificate of candidacy as a substitute candidate for his late father, Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano of the 6th District, who was then running for reelection under the One Cebu party.
Lawyer Eliseo Labaria, Cebu Provincial election supervisor, received the COC submitted by Jonkie, who was accompanied by his family and friends.
Jonkie said he had no plans to run again for an elective post after losing to Mayor Jonas Cortes in the last elections, but this is one of his father’s last wishes: that he will substitute him if his condition will turn for the worse.
“Actually, he told me last year when he was diagnosed with cancer na if possible ba nga ako’y mu-take over sa iyang position, but we weren’t expecting that he wouldn’t recover,” he said.
He said the second week of February this year was when the family realized that their Papa Ted might not recover. This was after his surgery when the doctor told them that he might have only one to two weeks to live.
Labaria said that the substitution is allowed until midday of election day in instances where a candidate died, was disqualified, or was disabled or incapacitated on the condition that his substitute bears the same surname.
He said this is because the ballots have already been printed.
“So what will appear on the ballot is not Jonkie’s name but the name of the candidate he is substituting. Whatever votes they will get will be counted in Jonkie’s favor, said Labaria in Cebuano.
When sought for comment, Mandaue City Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede, who is running for the same post under the Liberal Party, said he had not heard of Jonkie substituting his late father, but he wished Jonkie good luck.