ZAMBOANGA CITY: A local court has disqualified a former lawmaker, who was convicted of statutory rape, from running in Zamboanga City in the May 2013 elections.

Municipal Trial Court Judge Nancy Cuaresma, in a 16-page resolution, said that Romeo Jalosjos Sr.—who is running for the mayoralty post in Zamboanga City—cannot exercise the right of suffrage or the right to vote because he is disqualified.

“Jalosjos is not qualified to and cannot vote or be voted upon in any national or local elections until his perpetual absolute disqualifications are expressly remitted and restored by pardon,” the judge said.

The aging political kingpin, who was convicted in 1997 for raping an 11-year-old girl, was able to register with the Commission on Elections in Zamboanga City, but this was opposed by Rep. Maria Isabelle Salazar on the grounds that the former politician is disqualified to register as a new voter here because of his conviction.

Jalosjos, who was convicted with two counts of statutory rape and six counts of acts of lasciviousness, insisted his right to suffrage, adding that he had served his sentence.

But Salazar said that Jalosjos who was sentenced to suffer reclusion perpetua and reclusion temporal for each count of his crimes, is not qualified to run. The penalty for reclusion perpetua shall be from 20 years, while reclusion temporal is from 12 years. And Salazar said that Jalosjos was granted a mere commutation of sentence by then president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga province in 2007, which resulted in the reduction of his original sentence.

Official records with the Bureau of Corrections also showed that Jalosjos was discharged from the National Bilibid Prison only on March 18, 2009, less than the five-year period prescribed under the Voter’s Registration Act, according to Salazar.

The Election Registration Board also ruled in favor of Salazar, who is also gunning for the mayoralty post in Zamboanga.

“The decision of the Honorable Court serves to strengthen our faith in our justice system. With this, we will continue our advocacy of protecting the electoral system from unqualified or ineligible voters and candidates alike, whose participation in the election would only serve to desecrate and insult the electoral system whose sanctity we seek to preserve,” Salazar said.