Lolypop denies hand in Jonas’ COC cancellation

Local

CONGRESSWOMAN Emmarie "Lolypop" Ouano-Dizon dismissed accusations that her camp influenced the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision to cancel the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) of dismissed Mayor Jonas Cortes, labeling the claims as baseless and politically motivated.

Ouano-Dizon stressed the independence of constitutional bodies such as the Ombudsman and Comelec, asserting that accusations against her camp reflect a refusal to accept unfavorable rulings.

“Just like the Ombudsman, the Comelec is an independent constitutional body. Kung dili pabor ang decision, akusahan dayon nga bias (If the decision is not favorable, they immediately consider it bias),” she said.

She clarified that the Comelec’s decision stemmed from Cortes’ failure to truthfully declare his legal status in his COC, rather than political maneuvering.

“No one is above the law,” Ouano-Dizon emphasized, urging the public to respect legal processes and avoid blaming others for personal shortcomings.

The Comelec Second Division, in a December 20, 2024, ruling, canceled Cortes’ COC for committing material misrepresentation.

The ruling stated that Cortes failed to disclose a dismissal order from the Ombudsman issued on October 3, 2024, over his alleged inaction against an unlicensed batching plant operating in Mandaue City from 2020 to 2022.

Cortes filed his COC the day after the Ombudsman issued the dismissal order, marking “N/A” in sections asking about pending cases. The Comelec deemed the omission a deliberate attempt to mislead voters.

Meanwhile, Comelec Mandaue office addressed allegations of bias after hundreds of supporters of Cortes staged a rally on Friday, December 20, demanding a reversal of his disqualification.

Atty. Annafleur Gujilde, election officer of Comelec Mandaue, clarified that the local office acts as a messenger for decisions issued by the central office in Manila.(MyTVCebu)