THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has been asked to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Ruth M. Hernandez, wife of Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez, for the position of representative of Laguna’s second district.
The petition to “cancel or deny due course the certificate of candidacy” of Hernandez was filed with the Comelec’s office in Manila by Victor Resma Publico, a registered voter and resident of Barangay San Antonio, Los Baños, Laguna.
Publico sought the disqualification of Hernandez as a Congressional candidate for the second district of Laguna on the ground that she is not a resident of Bay, one of the municipalities that makes up the second district.
According to Publico’s petition, Hernandez filed her COC on October 17, claiming she is a resident of “Purok 4, National Road, Barangay Dila, municipality of Bay, province of Laguna.”
But Publico said the governor’s wife is not from the place, thus she committed a “material misrepresentation in her candidacy for member, House of Representatives in the Second District of Laguna.”
“The certificate of candidacy of respondent [Hernandez] must be canceled or not be given due course,” Publico asserted.
Publico noted that based on Hernandez’s COC, the wife of the governor indicated that “she would have been a resident of the municipality of Bay, province of Laguna for one year and two months prior to the May 13, 2019, national and local elections.”
But Publico said Hernandez could not have been a resident of the municipality of Bay for at least one year prior to next year’s midterm elections, noting that she even voted in Calamba City during this year’s barangay elections.
“During the May 14, 2018, barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, respondent Hernandez even voted in Calamba City where she was previously registered in,” Publico asserted.
Calamba City will become a separate congressional district in Laguna beginning next year.
“It is noteworthy that respondent does even have a house to stay in the municipality of Bay,” Publico argued in his petition. “The house she claims to be her residence in the municipality of Bay is still under construction.”
Publico noted that in item No. 9 of Hernandez’s COC, the latter admitted to being married to the governor, who, in his certificate of candidacy, indicated his address as 301 Laverna Street, Vista Hills, Barangay Barandal, Calamba City.
The governor filed his COC as a reelectionist on October 17, the same date that his wife filed her candidacy for the second district’s House seat.
The governor indicated in his COC that “he would have been a resident for 46 years and nine months prior to the May 13, 2019, national and local elections.”
“Obviously, respondent Hernandez is making this baseless claim [Bay residency] in order for her to run as candidate for member, House of Representatives in the Second District of Laguna, while her husband remains a resident of Calamba City,” Publico said.