By Arjane Faith Paala

PHOTO: PCOO-OPS

As he might ruin its integrity, Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confessed he refused the offer to be the chairman of Commission on Elections (Comelec).

In a press release, the senatorial aspirant affirmed he's very loyal to the President, and becoming the poll body's chairman can possibly stir up future complications.

"I acknowledge as a partisan, as a politician, that I'm not fit in the Comelec because I don't have the required neutrality," he declared. 

Meanwhile, Roque lambasted retired Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and branded her opinion on the disqualification case of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as 'nothing but a scrap of paper.' 



"That dissenting opinion should not have been released in the first place as it is contrary to the internal rule of the Comelec," he said.

According to him, Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos’ disqualification case should be debunked as his conviction was not involving moral turpitude, as opposed to Guanzon's judgment.

Guanzon's dissenting opinion stated that Marcos' persistent refusal to file income tax returns from 1982-1985 'constitutes an offense involving moral turpitude' 一 one of the grounds for disqualification under the Omnibus Election Code.

However, Roque claimed moral turpitude only includes heinous crimes like murder and rape so failure to submit tax returns should not be counted as one.

Roque even predicted that there will be a unanimous decision between the 1st and 2nd divisions on dismissing the petition for disqualifying the candidacy of Marcos. 


Edited by Nehmia Elyxa Relano