Comelec disqualifies Angping; substitution disallowed

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced yesterday that incumbent Manila Rep. Harry Angping (third district) had been disqualified to run for re-election and he cannot be substituted by his wife.

The announcement finally ended the week-long confusion among residents of Binondo, Quiapo and a portion of Sta. Cruz and left Miles Roces, a councilor and a son-in law of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, unopposed in seeking a seat in the House of Representatives.

The memorandum dated May 10, 2004 was signed by lawyer Alioden Dalaig of the Comelec Law Department and addressed to lawyer Esmeralda Ladra, acting director of the Comelec-National Capital Region (NCR) and lawyer Calixtro Ramos, election officer of third district of Manila.

Dalaig said the memo is meant for guidance and implementation of Comelec Resolution 6823, promulgated on May 8, 2004, disqualifying Angping from the congressional election for the city’s third district.

"To consider as moot the sworn affidavit of withdrawal of Angping, official candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) for member, congress, 3rd District as his certificate of candidacy was denied due course and cancelled," Dalaig said.

Consequently, the resolution stated that the substitute certificate of candidacy of Maria Zenaida Angping cannot be given due course.

The resolution called for the regional election director of the district to delete the name of Angping from the certified list of candidates for congressman.

Angping’s wife replaced him after he withdrew from the race last May 4. The congressman said he felt he would eventually be disqualified over his questioned citizenship.

To his surprise, his political opponent managed to secure a ruling from the Comelec, which disqualified him from the polls. The ruling was dated April 30, making the withdrawal and substitution null and void.

Angping maintained that he was not given due process because he and his lawyer were not furnished with copies of the Comelec resolution. He also noted that a day after he withdrew his COC, members of the Comelec first division argued that the petition to disqualify him would be moot and academic.

Angping had served for six years in two consecutive terms as congressman of the third district of Manila. It can be recalled that a similar petition was raised when Angping ran for the same post in 1998 and 2001, but since the Comelec failed to rule on the question of his citizenship, he was allowed to hold office.