CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Attorneys from the Fee on Elections (Comelec) have moved to disqualify the son of Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy from the 2025 congressional race within the metropolis.
In an 18-page petition on Tuesday, November 26, the Comelec regulation division sought to disqualify former Cagayan de Oro vice mayor Raineir Joaquin “Kikang” Uy from the race for the congressional put up within the metropolis’s 1st District for alleged election registration fraud.
Kikang is at present the chairman of the town’s largest barangay by way of voting inhabitants, a place he gained a 12 months after dropping the 2022 congressional race to Lordan Suan, now the district’s consultant.
‘Implausible inflow’
The petition, signed by Comelec administrators and legal professionals Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal, Albert Leonard Rodriguez, and Persis del Camat-Dabalos, alleged that Kikang, as barangay chairman, intentionally issued residency certificates to candidates regardless of their failure to indicate correct identification papers.
The Comelec legal professionals, within the petition, mentioned the barangay residency certificates had been discovered to be “doubtful.”
In addition they mentioned the mayor’s son “stands to profit contemplating that barangay certification is an accepted identification in help of an software of an individual in search of registration as a voter in Barangay Carmen, a barangay within the district the place he’s in search of public elective workplace.”
The transfer in opposition to the youthful Uy adopted the disapproval of 1,161 software papers of people that tried to register as new Carmen voters. They failed to indicate up throughout a listening to referred to as by the native Election Registration Board (ERB) regardless of summons to show their residency in Carmen.
The Comelec authorized division mentioned there was an “implausible inflow” of people that tried to register as Carmen voters.
“There is no such thing as a different logical purpose for his (Kikang’s) acts apart from to purposely and deliberately favor and additional his candidacy… (Kikang) willfully and maliciously employed the fraudulent scheme of issuing barangay certifications even to non-residents of Barangay Carmen to affect and induce them to register as voters…” learn a part of the petition.
Blame the congressman
In an announcement, Kikang denied that he resorted to fraudulent strategies, saying what he did was merely to make sure that Carmen residents would give you the option fulfill their civic obligation and train their proper to vote.
Kikang mentioned the rise in voter candidates in Carmen was a results of the general public responding to calls from Comelec to register and take part within the election course of.
He famous that solely 5% of the purposes had been rejected, principally as a result of candidates’ failure to attend an ERB listening to. He mentioned lots of them had been employees who couldn’t afford to overlook work simply to attend the listening to.
Kikang blamed the district’s incumbent congressman for his authorized troubles, accusing Suan of utilizing his affect as congressman to have him disqualified from the 2025 race.
Father’s ‘joke’
Within the 2023 barangay elections, the Nationwide Motion for Free Elections (Namfrel) raised alarm over what it referred to as widespread vote-buying, saying it obtained experiences about many citizens within the Barangay Carmen allegedly receiving as a lot as P6,000 every in trade for supporting choose candidates.
Carmen has lengthy been a pillar of the Uy household’s political dominance. For the reason that Nineteen Nineties, the mayor and his members of the family have alternated in holding the place of barangay chairperson.
A controversial post-barangay election comment from the elder Uy has solid a shadow over his son Kikang — a video that has since gone viral on social media captured the mayor making what seemed to be an informal, offhand comment concerning the election in Carmen whereas talking with metropolis corridor workers. His fast follow-up, labeling the remark a joke, did little to quell the rising issues.
Within the video, the elder Uy could be heard saying: “Napaksian mo? Wala gyud ko’y nadunggan nga napaksian… Gusto ninyong usbon? Paabota ninyo ang 2025… Pangutan-on mo nako – taga Carmen di mo gusto padak-an? Basin daghan na mo switch sa Carmen ha, 1st District ha? Ang importante nga tanan man kaha nakadawat? Nakadawat? Kung gusto ninyong padak-an unya gusto mog padayon to, switch mo sa Barangay Carmen. Suguro man ko nga subsequent 12 months naay registration.”
(Did you get your share in full? I didn’t hear anybody who bought his share slashed… You wish to change it? Wait till 2025… Let me ask you — don’t you residents of Carmen need it elevated? Possibly extra of you’ll switch to Carmen, the first District, proper? What’s vital is that everybody obtained one thing, proper? If you’d like it elevated and wish it to proceed, switch to Barangay Carmen. I’m certain there will probably be registration subsequent 12 months.)
‘Ridiculous surge’
Over native broadcaster Magnum Radio, Suan denied that he had something to do with the transfer within the Comelec to disqualify Uy.
In July, Suan sounded alarm bells over what he referred to as a “ridiculous” surge in voter registration makes an attempt in Carmen. He mentioned greater than 15,000 individuals had sought to register as new voters within the barangay inside a span of simply six months.
In response to Suan, the surge started in February, when roughly 6,500 individuals tried to register as new voters. It was adopted by one other batch of 8,700 candidates in July, pushing the full depend to greater than 15,000.
“Will increase within the variety of voters are anticipated, however this sort of surge is just ridiculous,” Suan informed Rappler in July.
Nevertheless it was not simply the sheer numbers which have raised eyebrows – Suan alleged that lots of the candidates weren’t even residents of Carmen, and a few got here from Cagayan de Oro’s 2nd District.
“Cagayan de Oro has seen a development growth, with new subdivisions cropping up everywhere in the metropolis, however not in Carmen. So the place are these individuals coming from?” he mentioned, including that it seemed “systematic and large.”
Suan, nevertheless, mentioned he introduced the matter to the eye of the Home of Representatives so one among its committees would provoke a separate investigation into the surge within the variety of voters in search of to register in Carmen. – Rappler.com
