KINANSELA nang Commission on Elections ang Certificate of Candidacy ng Bise Alkaldeng muling tatakbo sa bayan ng Angat sa Bulacan. Kinilala ang akusado na si Gilberto C. Santos, kasalukuyang Bise Alkalde sa bayan ng Angat, Bulacan na may mga kinakaharap na kasong kriminal sa hukuman. Ayon sa siyam na pahinang resolusyon buhat sa COMELEC First Division na nilagdaan nina Presiding Commissioner Al A. Parreno, Commissioner Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon at Commissioner Marlon S. Casquejo napatunayang lumabag sa batas si Santos dahil “iniligaw” niya ang komisyon sa kanyang mga pahayag o “Misleading” statements. “Clearly, this case constitutes flight from justice: (1) Respondent was charged for the commission of several crimes, (2) He has knowledge of the indictment instituted against him and fully aware of the warrant of arrest issued against him, and (3) He flees from the jurisdiction of the court and departs from the place of residence to avoid or evade prosecution. They warrant a conclusion that Respondent falls under the term “fugitive from justice” and thus, disqualified to run for local elective office. With the above disquisitions, it cannot be gainsaid that Respondent deliberately made a material representation in his COC that is false. He misrepresented that he is eligible for the position he seeks to be elected when in truth he is not. In Velasco vs. COMELEC, the Supreme Court held that “[S]eparately from the requirement of materiality, a false representation under Section 78 must consist of a deliberate attempt to mislead, misinform or hide a fact which would otherwise render a candidate ineligible. In other words, it must be made with the intention to deceive the electorate as to the would-be candidate’s qualifications for public office.”ayon sa dokumento ng COMELEC. “Finally, as material misrepresentation in a COC is an Election Offense under Section 262 in relation to Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) which the commission has the constitutional duty to investigate and prosecute the election offense aspect of this case should be referred to the Law Department for the conduct of Preliminary Investigation as there may be a possible violation of election laws.” Bahagi nang sampung pahinang resolusyon buhat sa COMELEC 1^st Division 2^nd paragraph ng ika 9 na pahina. “The accused through his lawyers argues that “he did not go into hiding but is only in a safe place for his security is of no moment as the evidence on record shows otherwise”. Gayundin buhat sa bahagi ng sampung pahinang COMELEC 1^st Division Resolution pang 2 sentences sa hulihan ng unang paragraph sa ika 9 na pahina. The Commission on Elections 1^st Division Promulgate the Resolution dated March 15, 2019 at nakarating sa publication na ito ang nasabing dokumento ito lamang March 18, 2019.///Michael n. balaguer, 09333816694, konek@diaryongtagalog.net