Eddie Gil not giving up on presidential bid

He just would not go quietly.

Disqualified presidential candidate Eddie Gil is using the grace period provided by law to insist that he is still in the running in the May 10 elections.

Yesterday Gil’s lawyer filed a motion for reconsideration against the April 28 decision of the second division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) delisting his Partido Isang Bansa Isang Diwa (PIBID). PIBID was delisted for failing to acquire enough votes when Gil ran for senator in the 2001 elections. "I am calling on everybody. The fight is continuing. I am not disqualified yet, even after the elections," he said.

Gil’s lawyer Romeo Igot justified their motion for reconsideration on the "lack of quorum" when the Comelec promulgated its decision. Igot said that during the promulgation only two of the second division’s three commissioners were present, with one of them even abstaining from the decision. Igot said that in effect only one commissioner rendered the promulgation.

The disqualification of his party is the lesser of the self-styled billionaire’s worries. On the same day the Comelec decided against Gil’s party, the Supreme Court affirmed an earlier Comelec decision disqualifying Gil for being a "nuisance candidate."

Lawyers representing evangelist Eduardo "Bro. Eddie" Villanueva were at the forefront of moves to have Gil disqualified, claiming that the similarity of Gil’s nickname to Villanueva’s would confuse voters. Villanueva is running for president under the Bangon Pilipinas Movement.

Among the grounds cited for Gil’s disqualification were his sloppily filled out certificate of candidacy, the measly number of votes he received when he ran for senator in 2001, and his difficulties in settling his financial obligations, despite claims of having a $10-billion account in a European bank.

But Igot said they still have until May 14 to file an appeal before the SC decision becomes final. "The status quo order of the Supreme Court is still in existence," said Igot. Gil vowed to file cases against the newspapers who reported he had been disqualified with finality.