Cuenco gets go signal to campaign

CEBU, Philippines - Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan candidate Ronald Cuenco can now go on with his campaign to run for a seat in the City Council without worries after the Commission on Election en Banc decided to reverse and set aside their first ruling on his disqualification.

Cuenco, in an interview with The FREEMAN said that he is very happy and pleased that the Comelec decided in his favor.

The Comelec disqualified Cuenco last February for failing to prove his one-year residency, which is one of the requirements of running for a post.

Cuenco, however, filed a motion for reconsideration challenging the resolution of the Comelec 2nd Division stating that it committed an error when it held that he has not shown proof of his abandonment of US residency.

While Cuenco admitted that the formal application for the surrender of his green card or the filing of his abandonment documents was done only in November 2009, he still had actions taken that could prove his complete abandonment of his US residency.

Cuenco stated his registration as a voter of barangay Guadalupe on December 12, 2008, his repeated trips to the Philippines as proven in his passport and his previous election as member of the Cebu City Council.

The Comelec en Banc resolution stated that “taking a second hard look at the assailed resolution, we find that there is merit in the contention of respondent Cuenco.”

According to the resolution, they found Cuenco to be eligible to run as member of the city council, of which he was already a member before he transferred to the US for three years.

“Being born and having been raised in Cebu City ineluctably show that he is no stranger in that place. His intention to return in his homeland and serve once more his constituents should not be defeated by a strait-jacketed interpretation of the laws.”

The resolution added that the issue of residency anyway could be raised in a quo warranto proceeding after the May elections. It stated that in the meantime, the electorate of Cebu City should be given a broader choice in the coming election.

Cuenco said that he will be intensifying his campaign now that he has the go signal considering that he heard news that some of his rivals are using his disqualification case against him and are already telling people not to vote for him.   (FREEMAN NEWS)