LUCENA CITY , Philippines – The promulgation by the Second Division of the Commission on Elections on a disqualification case filed against former Quezon governor Eduardo Rodriguez who is running for congressman in the province’s third district, did not faze him.
“Di na bago sa akin ‘to, beterano na ko sa disqualification cases but I still believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God and neither the Commission on Elections or President Arroyo can help anybody – only the people’s vote in his district,” said Rodriguez who was flanked by his legal counsel, former Quezon Fourth District provincial board member Sonny Pulgar and provincial lawyer Dennis Guerrero at a press conference on Saturday at the Fresh Air Hotel and Restaurant here.
Rodriguez cited that the said resolution is not yet final and executory. He filed a motion for reconsideration and motion for inhibition among the members of the Second Division that will be sent to Comelec then to the Supreme Court.
Rodriguez, who served as Quezon governor from 1988 to 1998, had also faced the same lawsuit in 1995 filed by former Quezon assemblyman Bienvenido Marquez.
Marquez sought to disqualify Rodriguez for being a “fugitive from justice” in connection with an insurance scam Rodriguez allegedly committed in the United States in the mid-70’s.
The decision by the Comelec disqualifying Rodriguez – running for reelection then as governor – was issued three days before the elections in 1995, but he went on to get a certification that the decision was not yet final and executory. Rodriguez scored a landslide victory against Marquez with the largest margin of over 170,000 votes in the province’ gubernatorial elections; and the case against him was dismissed by the Comelec.
Disqualification
On Mach 23, the Comelec Second Division in Manila ordered the cancellation of his certificate of candidacy and was stricken off from the list of official candidates for the position of member of the House of Representatives, representing the third district of Quezon province in the coming May 10 elections, in violation as provided in Section 12 of the Omnibus Election Code in relation to the local government code (LGC) Sections 40 (a) and (e).
The disqualification against Rodriguez was contained in an 11-page resolution, Case no. SPA 09-163 signed by the Second Division of Comelec Presiding Commissioner Nicomedo Ferrer, Commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yu-soph promulgated on March 23, 2010, two days before the final start of local campaigning.
The petition of Briccio Lagan of Unisan, Quezon filed on Dec. 11, 2009 against respondent Rodriguez alleged that Rodriguez was sentenced on offense involving moral turpitude by the Municipal Court of Los Angeles Judicial District, County of Los Angeles, State of California of the crime for 10 counts of insurance fraud and grand theft of personal property which are inherently contrary to the rules of right conduct, honesty and morality in a civilized society.