Pacman can run in Sarangani

GENERAL SANTOS CITY , Philippines  – Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao can now run for Congress representing Sarangani under the People’s Champ Movement (PCM) after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) dismissed a petition seeking to disqualify him from the congressional race on May 10.

Minveles Gulle, PCM lead counsel, said the resolution was promulgated on Tuesday.

“Although the decision was generally based on technicalities, still it means a lot to us, since it shows that the rival camp will throw anything at us, no matter how trivial, just to stop our champion’s inexorable march to victory,” she said.

Gulle said the Comelec First Division threw out the case on grounds that the petition was filed beyond the prescribed period of 25 days after the last day of filing the certificate of candidacy (COC) on Dec. 1.

The poll body ruled that the petitioners were not authorized to file the case on behalf of Roy Chiongbian of the Sarangani Reform and Reorganization Organization (Sarro), she added.

Gulle said they had documents to prove that Chiongbian was born in Cebu City, contrary to what he had indicated in his COC that he was born in Kling, Kiamba to circumvent the law.

“Meanwhile, Chiongbian will have to contend with the fact that the disqualification case the PCM has filed against him is by no means trivial, because the evidence adduced thereto will pin him down for material misrepresentation, which is ground for the cancellation of his certificate of candidacy,” she said.

Three weeks ago, the Comelec dismissed the disqualification case the PCM had filed against Chiongbian for lack of residency.