Saturday, February 21, 2004
Comelec resolves Manipula's disqualification case
By Jay Dooma Balnig
THE provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) already resolved the disqualification case filed against 5th District Lakas-CMD congressional candidate Ariel Manipula.
Last Thursday, provincial election supervisor Tomas Valera went to Metro Manila to submit the decision before the Comelec Legal Department for review and final judgement.
Valera, however, did not reveal the findings.
A source, however, disclosed the decision is favorable to Manipula, who had previously ran for board member in the 5th District.
The findings reported shows that "the commission established that Manipula is a naturally born Filipino, and even if he is residing in the US, and he is signifying his intention to stay back in his hometown in 5th District, then he is eligible for running for congressman."
Lawyer Roberto "Cal" Catolico earlier sought Manipula's disqualification on grounds that Manipula, an immigration lawyer, is a "green card" holder or a permanent resident of the United States.
Catolico said Manipula does not reside in the 5th District anymore.
Manipula is running against Rep. Rolex Suplico of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), who is seeking reelection for his last term.
Margarico case
Meanwhile, the Comelec provincial office also resolved the petition for disqualification against 3rd District Board Member Bienvenido Margarico, who is running for mayor in Janiuay.
The case was filed by his rival former Assemblyman Leopoldo Locsin, the brother of outgoing Mayor Manuel Franklin Locsin.
A physician, Margarico, who is on his third and last term in the Provincial Board, is being questioned for using the alias "Doctor".
It is stated in the Certificate of Candidacy that titles such as Dr., Atty., Don, Ginoo, Se or, Datu, Hadji, Sultan Bai, Se ora, Kapita or similar titles are expressly prohibited.
He said, however, that he has been using "Dr. Ben" as his nickname in the past, when he was also town mayor before he became a board member.
Margarico said he is known as "Dr. Ben" in Janiuay and that he has also been using such name in his campaign materials.
(February 20, 2004 issue)
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