Marinduque gov’s daughter appeals disqualification

MANILA, Philippines - The daughter of Marinduque Gov. Carmencita Reyes has filed a motion for reconsideration on a Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling disqualifying her as a candidate in the race for the lone congressional district in the province, due to questions over her citizenship.

Regina Ongsiako Reyes, through her lawyer Gregorio Larrazabal, said the ruling of the poll body’s two-man First Division disqualifying her in the midterm elections was not yet final and executory.

“The ruling is simply premised on the supposition that Reyes is not a Filipino citizen,” Larrazabal said in a statement sent to this writer.

“The simple fact is that Regina Ongsiako Reyes is a natural-born Filipino citizen and had never renounced nor lost her Filipino citizenship at any point in her life,” Larrazabal added.

According to Larrazabal, there has been no let-up in Reyes’ campaign sorties because her name “is still on the official Comelec ballot” as the official congressional candidate of the Liberal Party (LP) and “she is not prohibited from doing so.”

Reyes said she is determined to pursue her candidacy despite the pending disqualification case. “It’s nothing but a harassment case intended to sow confusion among the voters in Marinduque,” she said.

Marinduque LP stalwarts Eleuterio Daza and Romulo Bocorro and Bishop Rowel Arevalo have expressed their support for Reyes.