Pepito Cayetano asks SC to void nuisance ruling

Joselito Pepito Cayetano is back in the limelight, refusing to be written off despite being disqualified from the senatorial race after being labeled as nuisance candidate. On Thursday, Alan Peter Cayetano’s namesake and nemesis filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking to thrash a resolution of the Commission on Elections disqualifying him as a nuisance candidate for the senatorial derby. In a 14-page petition for certiorari filed by his lawyer John Joshua Atienza, Joselito asked the high court to declare him as among the official candidates for senators in the May 14 elections. Joselito maintained he should not have been declared a nuisance candidate, even as he blamed Alan Peter for becoming an "obstacle in (his) desire to help underprivilege (sic) Filipinos." "The candidacy of petitioner was then the subject of scrutiny and negative publicity which included a petition filed by Alan (Cayetano) to declare him a nuisance candidate with no clear intention and desire to run for office and is not capable of waging a nationwide campaign," Atienza said. Petitioner said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or in excess of jurisdiction when it granted Alan Peter Cayetano's petition to declare Joselito as a nuisance candidate on March 27, 2007 and when the Commission en banc affirmed the Special First Division's resolution. "[It] clearly amounted to a deprivation of the constitutional right of petitioner. Also it did not give consideration to the evidence presented by petitioner showing an overwhelming proof of his capability to wage a nationwide campaign which in fact he did and the fact that it had established his clear intention to run for public office, particularly as a senator," Atienza said. He said the questioned resolution is an "insult to the intelligence of the Filipino voters as if the latter do not know how to identify between the petitioner and the private respondent." He claimed that Joselito has very well passed the requirement and qualifications of becoming a senator, namely, being a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, 35 years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of election. But Joselito claimed that the assailed resolution of the Comelec has made a point of disqualifying him by reason of poverty. "Whether the candidate has occupied a public office or a similar position in the community is likewise not a qualification provided by law. neither is property ownership a qualification. To disqualify him for being unknown would result to great injustice and likewise would be violative of his constitutional right to run for public office," Joselito's counsel said. Petitioner said that he was able to show his capability in waging a nationwide campaign under the banner of the political party Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, which had been categorized by the Comelec as a fourth major political party. Atienza further said that Joselito was seen on television campaigning and had even placed paid advertisements in some of the dailies of general circulation. He also pointed out that his filing a certificate of candidacy should not cause confusion with Cayetano, whose registered name is "Companero," and who he claimed has been showing splendidly in the initial tally of the May 14 polls. Cayetano has insisted that his namesake was fielded by the administration as part of a scheme to sabotage his senatorial bid for exposing the alleged bank accounts supposedly maintained by the first family abroad. - GMANews.TV