|
JUSTICE Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez on Friday warned Sen. Franklin
Drilon that he will ask for the latter’s disqualification once he
pushes through with his candidacy as congressional representative in
the lone district of Iloilo City, a bailiwick of Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said that he is not afraid to fight
with Drilon in case the senator decides to run as for the post the
DOJ secretary formerly held.
Drilon is now on his second and last term as a
senator and once he slides down to the congressional district of
Iloilo City, he will face either Gonzalez or his son, incumbent Rep.
Raul Gonzalez Jr.
Gonzalez underscored that Drilon had no proof of
“animus rivertendi” or the intent to return to the place of his
mother, which is Iloilo City. The DOJ chief said they wanted to
prepare for Drilon’s entry although he was not seen “doing the
regular rounds in the province during the holidays.”
Gonzalez said that proof of Drilon’s interest
in Iloilo politics is his having registered in Iloilo for the first
time and the fact that it is now the end of his term in the Senate.
“What I will do to have Drilon disqualified
from running for Congress is what is provided by law,” he said.
He said that Drilon’s case must be likened to
the case of Sen. Panfilo Lacson who wanted to run for Mayor in
Manila, but decided to withdraw since he has a residency problem.
Under Section 6, Article VI of the 1987
Constitution it says that “no person shall be a Member of the
House of Representatives unless [he is] a registered voter in the
district in which he shall be elected, and a resident thereof for a
period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of
the election.”
Gonzalez pointed out that Drilon should be able
to prove that he has all the intentions to reside in the place of
his mother permanently.
Gonzalez even bragged that out of the 180
barangays in Iloilo City, 170 of the barangay chairmen were his
allies.
“I can call even 25,000 people in my hometown
within five hours,” he said.
Gonzalez is yet to decide if he will leave his
post as DOJ secretary or leave it to his son to seek a second term
and run opposite the former Senate president.
--Jomar Canlas
|
