Petitions filed vs. Cayetanos’ twin candidacies in Taguig

A Taguig resident has challenged the twin candidacies of spouses Alan Peter and Lani Cayetano for two separate congressional districts in the city before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

In two petitions, one Leonides Buac Jr., represented by lawyer Emilio Marañon III, sought the cancellation of the couples' certificates of candidacy "for lacking the required residency requirement," as well as their exclusion from the list of official candidates in the 2019 elections.

The pleadings alleged there were "serious legal infirmities" in the spouses' qualifications for running for different legislative districts "despite being married and obliged by law to live together in one domicile."

Running for the first district, Alan Peter, a former senator and Foreign Aaffairs secretary, claimed in his certificate of candidacy that he lives in Barangay Bagumbayan, while Lani, the outgoing city mayor now running for the second district, stated she resides in Fort Bonifacio.

But the petitions claimed the couple had misrepresented their eligibility to run for the first and second districts, alleging that neither were residents in their declared addresses.

"The couple claiming that each of them has separate domicile despite marriage go against their primary obligation to live together a married couple and maintain just one legal residence," in contravention of Articles 68 and 69 of the Family Code, the petitions said.

Even assuming that Lani had moved to Fort Bonifacio and Alan Peter had remained in Barangay Bagumbayan, the pleadings said, "it can no longer be considered [their] domicile for purposes of election not only for being irreconcilable with the Family Code, but for being contrary to public policy."

"Allowing spouses to claim 'domicile by convenience,' separate from their matrimonial domicile, just for the purpose of qualifying for an elective post is prejudicial to government service," the filings stated.

The petitions also alleged the spouses do not possess the minimum residency qualification required by the 1987 Constitution for members of the House of Representatives.

Section 6, Article VI of the Constitution requires a House member to be a "resident [of the district in which he shall be elected] for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the election."

In response, the Cayetanos said they were prepared to answer the issues raised in the petitions "point by point," but did not address the allegations in the statement they released.

"The disqualification cases, from the correct perspective, are irrelevant to our constituents' desire," they said, claiming their 2019 election candidacies would "simply continue our public service."

"On May 2019, we will submit to the people's will. This is what truly matters. This is what only matters," they said. — RSJ, GMA News