PATALINJUG INSISTS AHONG CAN’T RUN

Mayoralty candidate Rolando Patalinjug presents a certified true copy of a Commission on Elections decision containing excerpts of an en banc meeting that reportedly identified Chan as among 53 candidates disqualified from running on May 13

AFTER Lapu-Lapu City mayoral candidate Junard “Ahong” Chan belittled his opponent’s claim that he had been disqualified, Rolando Patalinjug presented this time a “certified true copy” of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision.

The document contains excerpts of the minutes of a Comelec en banc meeting on Nov. 28, where Chan was reportedly identified as among the 53 candidates who were disqualified from running in the May 13 midterm elections because they filed an old certificate of candidacy (COC).

Patalinjug said that according to Comelec’s rules, candidates should submit the COC that indicates a question whether or not the candidate has a pending case.

The document that Patalinjug showed reporters on Thursday, April 4, was a certified true copy of the “excerpt from the minutes of the regular en banc meeting of the Commission on Elections held on Nov. 28, 2018,” where poll officials reportedly decided on the disqualification of the 53 candidates.

It was signed by a certain Cynthia Patricia A. Aquino on Tuesday, April 2.

Patalinjug said he personally went to the Comelec central office in Manila to secure a copy of the decision so he could inform Oponganons about it.

Chan had described Patalinjug’s earlier claim that he had been disqualified as “hawshaw.”

Patalinjug said he hopes that with the certified true copy, Chan would stop doubting their claim and would instead support their group so the Oponganons’ votes would not go to waste.

Patalinjug of the United Nationalist Alliance, and Chan, the incumbent Pajo barangay captain, are running against former Lapu-Lapu City mayor Arturo Radaza.

“Ang atong kawsa sa grupo ni Ahong ug sa atong grupo pagpildi sa mga Radaza. So kung magbuwag mi, weak ming duha pero ug mag-usa mi, lig-on kaayo mi (My party and Ahong’s party only have one goal—to defeat the Radazas. We will be weak if we don’t unite. But if we unite, we will have a strong chance),” Patalinghug said.

The Comelec office in LapuLapu City said that as of Thursday, Chan is still a candidate and they haven’t received any document stating that he had been disqualified.

For his part, Chan said he will accept Comelec’s decision once he receives an official notice from the poll body. He has not received a copy from either Comelec or Patalinjug.

Chan also assured that he is ready to support Patalinjug and his party in the event that he is disqualified by Comelec.

But if Patalinjug’s claim turns out to be false, he advised the latter to join his group instead, if it’s true that their only goal is to defeat Radaza. /