MANILA — A high-ranking official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said there is no reason for her to explain the status of the recall petition filed by former San Juan Vice Mayor and losing mayoral candidate Francis Zamora against Mayor Guia Gomez.
“We are not duty bound to explain anything in public to a litigant. This case is pending in the Commission En Banc. Francis Zamora must respect the rules of the Commission En Banc,” said Commissioner Rowena Guanzon in an interview Monday.
“All litigants / parties must respect the rules of Comelec and file a proper pleading or motion. Did Francis Zamora file anything today (Monday) instead of rallying in Plaza Roma? It is unbecoming of a (former) vice mayor,” the poll body official added.
Guanzon also decried what she described as Zamora’s act of public humiliation and bullying against her.
“What does he think of us? We act as judges in these cases. Why is he intimidating and bullying me in public?” she asked.
On Monday, the former mayoral candidate joined his supporters in another protest action at Plaza Roma in front of the Comelec head office in Intramuros, Manila.
Zamora claimed that the processing of the Motion for Reconsideration he filed has been delayed ever since it was raffled to Guanzon, and that the latter refused to release the March 20 Comelec en banc decision as bared by his sources.
At the same time, Guanzon denied Zamora’s claims and challenged him to prove his allegations.
“Who is his informant inside Comelec?This is a serious matter. Francis Zamora must answer, who is his informant? If he cannot name his source, then he is lying,” she said.
In May 2017, the supporters of the city’s former vice mayor filed a petition calling for a recall election against Gomez.
The petition was approved by the Comelec en banc in December but was subsequently appealed by the city mayor last January. (PNA)
