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| Alvarado (2nd from left) with Stephen Lillie, British Ambassador to the Philippines. |
This came as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) En Banc
disqualified two independent gubernatorial candidates in the province for the
May 13 polls.
Lawyer Elmo Duque, the provincial election supervisor in
Bulacan told PromdiNews that Comelec’s decision is based on his recommendation
after he met apparent nuisance candidates last October.
“We just want to ensure that this year’s elections in
Bulacan will be meaningful and will not be mockery of democracy,” Duque said in
a telephone interview.
He said that last October, he had a conference with at least
seven independence candidates in the province including two gubernatorial
candidates, namely Jaime Almera and Ernesto Balite.
Duque explained that the conference was meant to measure the
capability of candidates to launch a province-wide campaign, especially for the
gubernatorial position.
It was followed by his recommendation to the Comelec Law
Department which ruled on the case.
On January 17, the Comelec issued a ruling disqualifying
Almera and Balite.
This decision is reflected on the Comelec website which
showed that Governor Alvarado as the lone candidate for the said post in
Bulacan.
“That is the final list and certified list of candidates for
the 2013 elections,” Duque said referring to information posted on the Comelec
website.
He added that the said list posted on the website will be
the same to printed on official ballots for the May 13 polls.
Printing of ballots will start today, February 4.
However, Duque said that the Comelec will still have to
decide on the disqualification case filed incumbent Representative Marivic
Alvarado of the first congressional district against retired police officer
Sahiron Dulah Salim.
An independent l candidate, Salim filed his Certificate of
Candidacy (CoC) last October to challenge the governor’s wife in the first
congressional district.
However, Rep. Alvarado filed a disqualification against
Salim noting that the retired police general ran for governor of Sulu in the
2010 automated election and miserably lost.
As this developed, political old hands here said that if
Salim is disqualified, the Alvarado’s will be the first husband and team
candidates in a provincial elective position in the province to run unopposed
in the same election.
Jose Rey Munsayac, a former board member said no governor of
Bulacan has ran unopposed since the 1980s.
He said that even former governors like Roberto Pagdanganan
and Josefina Dela Cruz had to face an opposition candidates during their
separate reelection bids. (Dino Balabo)
