Rep. Ouano-Dizon denies hand in cancellation of Cortes’ COC

Cong. Emmarie Lolypop Ouano-Dizon. | photo from Rep. Ouano-Dizon’s FB Page

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The camp of Mandaue City Lone District Representative Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, has denied any involvement in the cancellation of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) of dismissed Mayor Jonas Cortes.

Ouano-Dizon said that the Commission on Elections is an independent constitutional body the same with the Ombudsman.

The Comelec Second Division promulgated a decision on Wednesday, Dec. 18 to cancel Cortes’s COC for the 2025 midterm elections due to material and false representation.

“Kung dili pabor ang decision, akusahan dayon nga bias. No one is above the law. Dili sala sa Comelec kung dunay candidato nga dili mosulti sa tinuod sa iyang COC,” said Ouano-Dizon in a text message sent to CDN Digital on Friday, Dec. 20.

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“Dili nalang unta mamasingil ug lain tawo. The public will appreciate us more if we can show respect to our legal processes.” she added.

Dismissed Mayor Cortes in his statement posted on his Facebook Page on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 19, accused his political opponents of orchestrating efforts to remove him from the list of candidates to ensure an uncontested race for the mayoral position.

Cortes’ rival for mayoralty race is Provincial Board Member Thadeo Jonkie Ouano, the brother of Ouano-Dizon.

Jonkie’s sister-in-law is Yedda, is the wife of House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“Gihagit nako ang akong kaatbang nga undangon na ang paggamit sa iyang koneksyon, paryente, ug posisyon aron mag-impluwensya ug mag-pressure sa Comelec para mudaog sila nga walay kontra,” said Cortes in his statement.

Cortes asserted that he is still a candidate until the Supreme Court delivers the final decision. He said that he will exhaust all legal remedies to be allowed to seek reelection.

Cortes’ camp has announced that a motion for reconsideration will be filed personally with the Comelec En Banc on Friday, December 20.

Comelec-Mandaue Election Officer Atty. AnnaFleur Gujilde said that according to their memorandum, the filing of petitions with Comelec En Banc will be suspended on December 24, 25, and again on December 31 and January 1 due to the holiday break.

Gujilde stated that the printing of ballots is scheduled in January.

The decision cancelling Cortes’ COC stemmed from a petition by lawyer Ervin Estandarte, who accused Cortes of serious misrepresentation in his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) by claiming eligibility for the office he sought. Cortes also marked “N/A” in sections requiring the disclosure of any legal cases against him.

Estandarte argued that Cortes intentionally concealed his dismissal from service by the Ombudsman, of which he was informed just one day before submitting his COC, violating the affirmation that the information provided was true to the best of his knowledge.

Cortes asserted that the Ombudsman’s dismissal order was currently under appeal and, as such, it was not final.