THE camp of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio welcomed the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to junk the petition to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of her running mate, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In a statement released by Liloan Municipal Mayor Christina Frasco, spokesperson of Duterte-Carpio, the Davao City mayor said the Comelec decision is “an opportunity for the Filipino people to express their will in fair and free elections.”
“We welcome the Comelec decision to affirm the certificate of candidacy of Sen. Bongbong Marcos,” the online statement released on Monday read.
In addition, Marcos’s camp also released a statement saying the petition against the presidential aspirant was “frivolous” and “unmeritorious to override the basic precepts of the Constitution.”
This came after the Comelec Second Division announced its decision to deny the petition made by Fr. Christian Buenafe of Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Fides Lim of Kapatid, Ma. Edeliza Hernandez of Medical Action Group, Celia Lagman Sevilla of Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance, Roland Vibal of Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, and Josephine Lascano of Balay Rehabilitation Center to cancel the certificate of candidacy of Marcos due to misrepresentation.
“When respondent Marcos Jr. checked the item on the COC saying that he has no disqualifications, that it was not a misrepresentation. The Division further found that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead the Commission contrary to the allegations of the respondents,” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in a virtual press conference on Monday, January 17, 2022.
Marcos is still facing three petitions for disqualifications handled by the Comelec First Division.
Duterte-Carpio is running for vice president in the upcoming May 2022 national elections alongside presidential aspirant Marcos.