Ex-con vindicated by Comelec

An ex-convict found vindication in a recent Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling declaring him as the true winning sixth councilor of the first district of Manila.

Jesus Fajardo, a former prisoner who was granted absolute pardon in 1994, ran for councilor of the first district of Manila in the May 2007 elections.

Fajardo said he landed seventh in the ranking, following Rolando Sy.

However, Fajardo told The STAR that he was able to gather evidence of poll fraud and that he was indeed the sixth winning candidate, prompting him to file a protest at the Comelec.

The battle lasted for over a year and a half.

“We spent quite a lot in our quest for the truth, to the extent that we even pawned some of our items,” Fajardo said, but refused to divulge how much they actually spent.

Last January, the Comelec ruled in his favor but the decision was again reversed sometime later.

But Fajardo never gave up and continued with his battle until last month when the Comelec again issued a ruling declaring him as the real winning sixth councilor of the first district of Manila.

The resolution said Fajardo garnered 28,653 votes, closely followed by Sy with 28,613 votes.

“It is true what they say that if you’re fighting for the truth, you will never fail,” he said, adding that he is very grateful to Comelec Chairman Jose Melo for being fair in his case.

‘Time to prove myself’

In 1989, years after he was freed from prison, Fajardo ran and won as barangay captain of Barangay 19, Zone 2. He said he also served as president of barangay captains in Zone 2, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in District 1 and vice president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Metro Manila.

Asked about his projects for his constituents, Jesus said, “They know that they can easily come to me when they need anything, be it medicine, aid for funeral or something else.”

I believe what is far more important is my desire to serve than my educational attainment, Fajardo said. He only finished grade six.

“All my fellow councilors are educated, doctors, lawyers, engineers... I just hope that they won’t look down on me just because I did not even finish elementary,” he said.

“I just wish that they would have trust in me and in what I can do to serve, “ he added.

New life

Fajardo, who’s turning 69 next year, has four children with his first wife and six with his second wife.

He was raised in San Antonio, Tondo. He related that he was a mess growing up since after his father died and his mother married another man, he was lacking in attention.

He was an only child and had lots of money.

He was first jailed for frustrated murder in 1959 at seventeen years old.

He was released from prison the following year but went back to prison in 1962 after he was implicated in a robbery case. But due to good behavior, he was again released six years later.

He was granted absolute pardon with 30 other prisoners in 1994 by former President Fidel Ramos.