Official who voted to bar Marcos Jr. election bid retires

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine elections official, who voted to disqualify the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in upcoming presidential elections, has alleged that a fellow official plotted to invalidate her vote by delaying the release of the final ruling until after her retirement Wednesday. Some fear the crucial case could spark unrest if it’s not resolved soon.

Commissioner Rowena Guanzon disclosed last week that she voted to disqualify Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. from the race due to a 1997 tax conviction she said was an offense that involved “moral turpitude,” one of the grounds under the law barring a candidate from seeking public office.

Guanzon said fellow commissioner Aimee Ferolino, who is drafting a ruling on the petitions against Marcos Jr., has delayed its release until after her retirement so her vote would no longer count. She alleged that a powerful politician influenced Ferolino's move, although she did not provide details and evidence.

“They succeeded in stopping my vote,” Guanzon told foreign correspondents in an online news conference Tuesday.

She added the issue would likely be taken eventually to the Supreme Court.

Ferolino denied the allegations and said Guanzon’s criticisms were undermining the Commission on Elections’ credibility.

The 64-year-old Marcos Jr. has already served as provincial governor, congressman and senator. He has topped opinion polls ahead of the May 9 vote, alarming human rights and pro-democracy activists, who’ve led pockets of street protests following Guanzon’s claims.

The elder Marcos was ousted in an army-backed “people power” uprising that became a harbinger of change in authoritarian regimes worldwide. He died in exile in Hawaii three years later without admitting any wrongdoing, including accusations that Marcos, his family and cronies amassed an estimated $5 to $10 billion while he was in power.

The late dictator’s son “has a weak moral fiber that’s why I have to disqualify him,” said Guanzon, who has served seven years in the elections commission.

Guanzon has also served in the Commission on Audit, a vanguard against government corruption, and as a city mayor in the central Philippines.

She told journalists Tuesday she could defend herself in retirement. “I’ll just carry my own gun,” she said.

Marcos Jr. has not publicly responded to Guanzon’s accusations but his political party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, asked the Commission on Elections to investigate her for improperly disclosing her position on the disqualification bid against him. It sought her disbarment and forfeiture of her retirement benefits and lifetime pension.

Two weeks ago, another group of election commissioners rejected a separate bid to oust Marcos Jr. from the race. The petitioners in that case said he falsely stated in his candidacy papers that he had not been convicted of any crime.

The Philippine Bar Association, the oldest group of lawyers in the country which promotes the rule of law and human rights, expressed concern over the reported delays in resolving the petitions against Marcos Jr.

“It is within the commission’s power to place these worries to rest," the group said in a statement.

The other major contenders in the race to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte include Vice President Leni Robredo, an opposition leader who narrowly defeated Marcos Jr. in the 2016 vice presidential race, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

A Hawaii court found the elder Marcos liable for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit against him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

His widow, Imelda Marcos, and her children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991. They have since made a political comeback, winning seats in Congress and powerful provincial posts that brought them closer to the presidency. One of her daughters, Imee Marcos, is currently a senator.