THE MANGAHAS INTERVIEWS

'No elections' rumors baseless —DILG spokesperson

Department of the Interior and Local Government spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya on Friday said there is no basis to postpone the 2022 election, as he dismissed the speculation.

Interviewed on The Mangahas Interviews, Malaya said the speculation was just a “figment of imagination” of those opposing the administration.

“That's a figment of imagination ng mga taong kumukontra sa ating pamahalaan (of people who are opposing the government). Wala naman pong basehan (It has no basis) because the elections as you can see is already here. In fact, everyone has election fever,” he said.

On Wednesday, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III lauded the Commission on Elections for junking the petition to reopen the filing of certificates of candidacy filed by the PDP-Laban faction of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

According to Pimentel, the petition was an attempt to push for a “no election” or “no-el” scenario in 2022.

Two factions of the PDP-Laban are vying for recognition before the Comelec—that of Cusi and President Rodrigo Duterte, and the other of Pimentel and presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Malaya pointed out that the petition did not intend to disrupt the election schedule since it was actually aiming to field more candidates for 2022 elections. —LBG, GMA News