DESPITE being dismissed from public service by the Office of the Ombudsman for serious misconduct, suspended Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for reelection on Friday, Oct. 4.
This was confirmed by Mandaue City Elections Officer Anna Fleur Gujilde, a lawyer, adding that Cortes’ COC was filed at her office at 8:08 a.m. under the One Cebu political party.
The Ombudsman dismissed Cortes from service after finding him guilty of grave misconduct for allowing the continuous operation of Suprea Phils. Development Corp., a cement batching plant, without the necessary business and environmental permits.
The order came out on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
“I am filing my COC now because I want to put a stop to the rumors being spread yesterday (Oct. 3) that I am not allowed to file my COC,” Cortes said.
He added that the Ombudsman decision is “not final, and we are availing of our legal remedies.”
Integrity pledge
Gujilde said that after submitting his COC, Cortes did not sign Comelec’s integrity pledge, which aims to promote clean and honest elections by encouraging candidates to commit to orderly and fair campaigning, as he wanted to do it with his partymates when they filed their COCs.
“The mayor wants to sign the pledge, but he prefers to do it alongside his partymates,” Gujilde said.
Gujilde said that while signing the integrity pledge is not mandatory, it plays a significant role in fostering transparency during the election process.
When asked whether a dismissed candidate can still file a COC, Gujilde said that as the electoral body in charge of managing candidacy filings, Comelec’s role is largely ministerial.
Gujilde said their task is to ensure that the COC forms are filled out completely and accurately. This includes verifying that a candidate’s picture, thumbprint, signature, and notarization are properly submitted.
“As far as the Comelec is concerned, especially at our level, our action is purely ministerial. We just received the COCs that were submitted to us. Our role is to check the completeness of the form,” Gujilde said.
Cortes was the only member of his party to file on Friday, with the rest of his slate expected to submit their COCs on Oct. 8.
On the eligibility of candidates, Gujilde said the local Commission on Elections’ office does not get involved in any external issues that may arise, including any challenges to a candidate’s qualification.
“Once the COCs are forwarded to our law department, they will be the ones to evaluate the documents. Other interested parties, such as registered voters or political parties, may also file petitions if they wish to challenge the candidacies,” Gujilde said.
Other aspirants
Cortes is not the only mayoral candidate for the next elections. He will be challenged by an independent candidate, Gepino Requirme, who filed his COC on Oct. 2.
Another independent candidate, Jocel Baluyot, submitted his COC Friday for councilor.
Meanwhile, Gujilde reiterated that aspirants who have already submitted their COCs are not yet considered official candidates until the official campaign period begins.
As a result, any self-promotion or public appearances by these aspirants cannot be classified as official election campaigning or partisan
political activity.
However, she added that any political activities, whether publicized or discreet, are still bound by certain restrictions, especially during key religious holidays.
Any election campaign or partisan political activity is prohibited on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the day before, and on Election Day, Gujilde said.
While Comelec has no direct authority over the actions of political aspirants before the campaign period, Gujilde said it is up to the public to judge the appropriateness of their activities.
She said the activities of these aspirants fall under their right to freedom of expression.
Since they have not yet been officially declared candidates, some may still decide not to pursue their candidacy, making this phase part of their political journey, said Gujilde. /CAV