Comelec grants Guo camp's deadline extension request | ABS-CBN

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Comelec grants Guo camp's deadline extension request

Comelec grants Guo camp's deadline extension request

Sherrie Ann Torres,

ABS-CBN News

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MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has granted the request of the camp of dismissed mayor Alice Guo to extend the August 27 deadline for her filing of counter-affidavit in relation to the Comelec’s misrepresentation complaint against her.

This means that the new deadline set for Guo’s counter-affidavit filing will be on September 1, or September 2 to be exact, since the requested date by the former’s camp falls on a Sunday, Comelec spokesman Director Rex Laudiangco said.

Interviewed at the sidelines of the Comelec’s briefing on the agency’s preparations for the 2025 midterm and BARMM elections, Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that appeals for extension similar to Guo’s motion are “automatically” given to the requesting party.

“Yun naman (extension) automatically binibigay natin, pinagbibigyan natin lahat ng respondents sa ganyan dahil criminal case naman ito. Ayaw natin maging mahigpit. Pero kung hihingi pa ulit ng extension mukhang hindi na dapat... Yung mapagbigyan ng isang pagkakataon, tama lang po yan. Almost motu proprio ibinibigay natin ang extension,” Garcia told journalists.

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(We automatically give that extension to a respondent because that is a criminal case. We do not want to be strict. But if they will ask for another extension, that is no longer proper. A consideration once is enough. We also give that extension motu proprio.)

But in the event that Guo’s camp submits the ex-mayor’s counter-affidavit, the Comelec would have to be satisfied by her lawyer’s explanations surrounding the document, particularly, on how Guo was able to sign the document and who notarized the document.

“Ang tanong darating ba si mayor Alice Guo? Hindi natin alam yan, sapagkat may ganung may katanungan kung andito talaga siya... Kung magpa-file ba sila counter-affidavit may pirma ba siya? At the same time, napanumpaan ba nya yun sa isang notary publico?” Garcia said.

(The question is, is mayor Alice Guo coming? We do not know that because the main question is, is she really here? If they will file a counter-affidavit, does it bear her signature? Did she took an oath before a notary public before signing it?)

Once the commission determines that Guo did not legitimately take an oath before a notary public, her counter-affidavit, even if signed, will just be treated as a mere “scratch of paper,” Garcia said.

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Meantime, the Comelec is also taking note of the testimonies being given to the Senate by Shiela Guo, sister of the ex-mayor.

Shiela’s testimony, specifically, her admission that they indeed left the Philippines is significant, Garcia said.

“Ang Comelec pupwede po kaming mag-take ng judicial notice sa mga developments na yan, sa pag-aresto sa kanyang kapatid... pwede naming pagbasehan ng mga action namin sa mga statements na binigay. .. Therefore, ang Comelec ay magre-rely lang sa mga pinanumpaan para maging fair at in accordance with due process,” Garcia said.

(The Comelec can take a judicial notice in all those developments. We can base our action on that. The Comelec will only rely to those statements that were given while under oath.)

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