Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has reminded the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of its duty to ensure that each candidate follows the set of standards so that no Filipino voter will be deceived by the lack of qualification of their chosen candidate on election day.
Apart from being a real Filipino, the senator said candidates are also responsible for providing voters with the right information about themselves and making sure that they do not violate the law.
"Ang pribilehiyong ito na nakasaad sa ating Konstitusyon ay para lamang sa ating mga kapwa at hindi kailanman maaaring ibigay sa mga pekeng Filipino (This privilege stated in our Constitution is only for our fellow citizens and can never be given to fake Filipinos)," Estrada said in a statement.
The senator made the statement as dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo decided to pursue her candidacy for her former post, according to her lawyer on Friday.
While the Comelec is constrained to accept Guo's certificate of candidacy (COC) as part of their ministerial duty, Senator Joel Villanueva noted that there is a pending material misrepresentation case against her when she ran for mayor of Bamban in 2022, along with several cases filed by other agencies pertaining to her true identity.
"It would be ridiculous if she would still be allowed to run again," Villanueva said in another statement.
For Villanueva, it is clear that Guo is a "fake Filipino" who used a fake Philippine birth certificate with matching fingerprints with Guo Hua Ping.
"Isang pagbalahura at pambabastos po sa ating mga batas ang ginagawa ni Guo Hua Ping at ng kanyang mga POGO sponsors (What Guo Hua Ping and his POGO sponsors are doing is an insult to our laws)," he said. (PNA)
