Pardoned former lawmaker bungles comeback bid

GAPAN CITY, Nueva Ecija — Former fourth district congressman Nicanor de Guzman Jr., who was convicted of gun smuggling more than a decade ago and later granted presidential pardon, has bungled his political comeback, failing to bag any of the three seats in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in his district.

De Guzman obtained 53,197 votes to land in fifth place among eight candidates for fourth district board member.

Based on the final tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the 72-year-old former lawmaker trailed behind comebacking former provincial board member Napoleon Interior, J.M. Maximino Villareal, re-elected board member Rudy de Leon and Narciso Guinto.

Interior got 83,979 votes while Villareal, son of former Rep. Julita Lorenzo-Villareal and incumbent Rep. Raoul Villareal, obtained 69,898 votes, followed by De Leon with 67,308 and Guinto with 66,651.

At the bottom half were former board member Ernesto Talens Jr. (49,114), Arturo Pablo (18,493) and Rogelio Dazo (5,464).

A resigned De Guzman said he would quietly retire into private life, saying it was better this way.

"Gusto ko tahimik na lang. Wala naman akong mapapala sa bokal bokal na yan (I just want to have peace. I won’t benefit from being a board member)," he said.

He claimed there was massive vote-padding in the fourth district that benefited one of the candidates whom he refused to identify.

"From what I have gathered, the candidate got 10,000 additional votes," he said in Filipino.

He said many of his loyal followers tried to persuade him to file an electoral protest but he rejected the idea.

"Hahabulin ko ba yan? Mabigat ang gastos (Will I pursue that? It’s too expensive)," he said.

De Guzman, who earlier said he hated politics for being dirty, was convinced to give it another try by his kumpadre, re-elected Gov. Tomas Joson III.

But during the campaign, he complained about failing health and lack of logistics. Most of the time, he confined himself to his residential compound with some supporters instead of campaigning.

Several times, he aired his frustrations that he could not assist his fellow Novo Ecijanos in need of help because he did not have the money. "They don’t have anyone to turn to," he said.

De Guzman was charged with gun smuggling following the seizure by the Philippine Air Force Security Command (Pafsecom) of 314 assorted firearms at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sept. 5, 1989.

The guns, concealed in nine boxes wrapped in aluminum foil, included six street-sweeper shotguns, caliber .25 and .45 goldcup pistols and 9-mm pistols.

Five of the boxes were consigned to J.R. de Guzman supposedly representing his initials and four to businessman Ponciano Datu.

De Guzman denied owning the boxes, saying he only had a suitcase when he arrived from the United States.

In 1990, the Pasay Regional Trial Court (RTC) found De Guzman guilty of the charges and sentenced him to a maximum 20 years in prison.

On Aug. 8 of the same year, he resigned from the House of Representatives to spare it from the scandal.

He started serving his prison term in 1995 but was granted absolute pardon in 1998 when his kumpadre, Joseph Estrada, became president. — Manny Galvez