Ex-Comelec commissioner mulls legal action over Dinagsa ‘viral video’
BACOLOD City – Former Commission on Elections ( Comelec) commissioner and former Cadiz City mayor Rowena Guanzon is taking legal action against individuals who posted a now viral video on social media relating to an incident that took place on Sunday, Jan. 29, in Cadiz City during the highlights of the Dinagsa Festival.
In the viral video posted by a certain social media user named “Cyn Thia”, Guanzon could be seen confronting a man with her walking stick.
She is also seen shouting at the man’s companions, as well as the individual who was taking the video.
In a phone patch interview with Panay News yesterday morning, Guanzon said prior to the incident, her niece was ganged up on by several i ndividuals and sexually harassed her.
Guanzon and her group immediately went to her niece’s location to rescue her.
Upon reaching a street nearby she saw several individuals drinking heavily.
She said she asked them to give way, but instead one of the individuals in the group started shouting and hit her on the shoulder, and stepped on her left leg.
The f ormer Comelec official said the group was clearly i nebriated at the time, and she was only using her walking cane to protect herself, and for the man in the video to distance himself from her.
Guanzon said she i s planning to file libel charges against social media user Cyn Thia over the now viral video and is currently consulting s e v e r a l i n f o r m a t i o n technology (IT) experts.
Meanwhile, Cadiz City mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said the incident was “very untoward.”
He said he instructed the Cadiz City Police Station to do what is necessary over the incident.
“I’’ ve heard there are already cases to be filed,” Escalante said.
The mayor also said they will review Guanzon’s suggestion for future Dinagsa festivals to ban drinking alcohol i c beverages on sidewalks, adding he will leave it to the city council to decide./