Gomez disputes residency raps

MANILA, Philippines - Actor and congressional candidate Richard Gomez said yesterday he is ready to prove that he has been living in Ormoc, Leyte for more than two years after a disqualification case was filed against him for allegedly failing to comply with the minimum residency requirement of at least one year.

Gomez, who is married to an Ormocana, model and TV host Lucy Torres, is seeking the congressional seat in the fourth district of Leyte.

He said his lawyers are ready to counter the disqualification case filed against him by Buenaventura Juntilla, former chairman of Barangay Libertad, Ormoc City.

Gomez said he has documents to prove that he is a resident of the fourth district, including a community tax certificate and a driver’s license.

“This is a nuisance suit… they must have basis in filing this complaint… they must show evidence that I am not a resident there… We have our community tax certificate which I acquired last March… I transferred my voter’s registration in Ormoc last March, even my driver’s license was addressed in Ormoc… I have bills to pay addressed there…” Gomez told The STAR.

Gomez said he decided to permanently establish residency in Ormoc after May 10, 2007.

“They are trying to derail my candidacy by giving misinformation to the people… They don’t even need to tell the people that I am disqualified,” he said.

In a petition he filed before the Commission on Elections in Manila last Dec. 5, Juntilla alleged that Gomez lacks the one-year residency qualification to run as representative of the fourth district of Leyte because he is not a bona fide resident of Ormoc City, which is part of the district.

Juntilla said that per the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Gomez, he stated that he is a resident of 910 Carlota Hills, Ormoc City and his birthplace was in Manila and was born on April 7, 1966.

Juntilla alleged that Gomez’s declaration in his COC is a blatant misrepresentation of mandatory matters required in Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code, particularly of his residency qualification.

He said Gomez is a bona fide resident of Colgate St., East Greenhills, San Juan City and has not resided in any fixed place in Ormoc City.

Gomez said surveys showed that he is leading by a huge margin against his opponent, Winnie Codilla.

Gomez said the survey conducted by a group of Ormocanos last November showed that he was favored by 45 percent of the respondents while Codilla received only 23 percent.

He said another survey revealed that he was the bet of 78 percent of Ormocanos against 21 percent for Codilla.

“Let’s respect the choice of the people,” he said.

Asked what his plans are for the fourth district if he wins the congressional race, Gomez said he would focus on developing the district’s tourism sector.

“I have been there and I see very little progress in Ormoc’s tourism industry. There is no established tourism program in Ormoc,” he said.

Gomez said he also plans to develop the city as a sports destination by offering various sports activities. He was a gold medalist in fencing at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

Gomez said he would also file a bill that would seek to lower electricity rates in Leyte and would continue his anti-illegal drugs campaign in the fourth district.

In 2001, he ran as a party-list representative for Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga (MAD), an anti-drug group which he heads.

MAD gained a lot of votes in the elections, but was later disqualified by the Comelec because it was supposedly first funded by the government.

In 2007, Gomez ran for the Senate as an independent candidate, and lost.