Acting Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson Rex Laudiangco confirmed that retired Comelec official Rowena Guanzon has formalized her bid to become the first nominee of party-list Komunidad ng Pamilya, Pasyente at Persons With Disabilities (P3PWD) in the 19th Congress.
Laudiangco confirmed that Guanzon filed documents to be a nominee of the party-list, which won one seat, CNN Philippines reported.
If granted, Guanzon will represent P3PWD in the next Congress, but this is “[s]ubject to the deliberation of the Commission en banc,” Laudiangco said
Substitution of candidates may only be done until Nov. 15, 2021, but the hearing of petitions for replacement of nominees of winning party-lists would depend on the Comelec, CNN reported.
Guanzon was known for her social media posts which indicated that she is nominee of P3PWD. However, she has not filed any document on the withdrawal and substitution of nominees for P3PWD at the time.
She also drew flak after being photographed with House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.
Guanzon earlier also dissented against the electoral body’s move to approve Duterte Youth’s withdrawal of its five nominees in 2019 to give due course to Ronald Cardema’s substitution bid.
The P3PWD party-list on Tuesday has formally filed its new list of nominees before the Comelec.
In an advisory, Laudiangco said among the documents submitted by the party-list group before the poll body’s Law Department are the cover letter and notarized Affidavit of Filing of Board Resolution regarding the resignation of nominees and acceptance of new nominees signed by the group’s Secretary General Donnabel Tenorio.
The group also filed the notarized resignation letters of its original set of nominees — Grace S. Yeneza, Ira Paulo A. Pozon, Marianne Heidi Cruz Fullon, Peter Jonas R. David, and Lily Grace A. Tiangco.
Also filed before the poll body was the group’s notarized certificate of nomination signed by Tenorio as its new nominees in the following order — Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon, Rosalie J. Garcia, Cherrie B. Belmonte-Lim, Donnabel C. Tenorio and Rodolfo B. Villar Jr.
The group filed a requisite notarized affidavit accompanying the certificate of nomination signed by Tenorio, notarized certificates of acceptance of nomination of the new nominees of P3PWD, and notarized affidavits of acceptance of the nomination by the aforementioned new nominees.
Laudiangco said the Comelec is expected to discuss the matter.
“Subject to the deliberation of the Commission en banc,” he added.
The group is entitled to one seat in the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress.