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Today is E-Day, vote for candidates with integrity

EVEN then, the election fever remains high. Perhaps, the readers know of the latest about the controversy of the “disqualification” of Cagayan De Oro City Mayor Oscar S. Moreno to run for Mayor on May 13, 2019.
    
The Commissions on Elections (COMELEC), Second Division, has purportedly promulgated a resolution dated May 1, 2019 granting the petition to disqualify Moreno to run in the scheduled election today.
    
Of course, the Moreno camp would vehemently deny the disqualification issued by the COMELEC, which came out May 10, 2019, three-days prior to the election. Moreno’s camp hurriedly called for a conference with some members of the local media to make sure that the denial would hog the local newspaper Saturday. And, it did. Some local newspapers ran the story describing the COMELEC resolution as “fake” even without breaking the story.
    
Anyway, Moreno’s lawyers argued that it would be impossible to issue the promulgation of the order on a Holiday when the country is observing the Labor Day on May 1, 2019. They argued that the absence of the COMELEC “seal” rendered the resolution was fake.
    
In trying to justify their contention that the resolution was fake, Moreno’s camp, even contended that they have a cellular phone number of Commissioner Luie Tito Guia, the presiding officer of the COMELEC Second Division, who signed the resolution.
    
Well, there is also a question on whether the mobile phone of the Comelec Commissioner Guia was authentic.
    
In contrast, the City Comelec Office, said that they have not received the official communication from the COMELEC Manila. The election official also said that they could not make verification of the resolution with the COMELEC out of propriety. “Whether a disqualification order was issued against Moreno, the fact, remains that the city Comelec would observe a “status quo” until the official communication is received by the Comelec office,” the election official said.
    
The same election official said that the date of the promulgation is not important because nobody knows if the commissioners were working even on a holiday like the Comelec offices in other parts of the country.
    
There is, however, the greater possibility that the votes in favor of Moreno would be invalidated. In other words, if Moreno wins, he still could not assume as City Mayor because he was already disqualified. Thus, the next candidate for the City Mayor with the highest number of votes would automatically be proclaimed as the new City Mayor.
    
Aside from the Comelec Resolution, a suspension or dismissal order against Moreno is expected to be served this week. This event becomes inevitable because Moreno is facing about 100 graft cases in various courts.
    
Well, the election today would matter most to the people of Cagayan De Oro City. Another important event was the substitution of lawyer Nadya Emano as a candidate for the Vice Mayor following the untimely death of his father.
    
Former Cagayan De Oro City Mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano, who was running for the Vice Mayoral post come May 13, 2019 election, died of Pneumonia at age 76. Emano died early morning on May 7, 2019, six days prior to today’s election.
    
Emano, the founder of the Padayon Pilipino, served as provincial governor of Misamis Oriental in 1986-1995, City Mayor, 1998-2007, City Vice Mayor in 2007-2010. Again, elected as City Mayor in 2010 until 2013
    
Amid popular public demand, the Emano family decided to declare Nadya Emano as the substitute of her father’s candidacy. It means that a vote for the late “Dongkoy” Emano would be a vote for Nadya Emano.
    
The coming of Nadya in the mayoral race changes the city’s political setting.  A lawyer by profession, Nadya is an incumbent City Councilor for the last nine years. Her experience as a legislator provided her the adequate tools to serve as the City’s Vice Mayor.
    
Today’s election would also prove whether the people would vote for a Mayoral candidate with integrity and credibility. A Mayoral candidate without a case involving graft and corruption as a against a candidate with dozens of anti-graft cases in court. Today’s election will also prove whether the vote buyer remains the choice of the voters.
    
By the way, my radio commentary program at the Mellow Touch 95.7 KHz in your radios would resume today May 13, 2019. The program would serve as the mouthpiece of the people of Cagayan De Oro City, especially for less fortunate and the oppressed. Listen! -0- email comments/reactions: [email protected]

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