Petitioners representing human rights organizations have asked the Commission on Elections to cancel or deny due course to the certificate of candidacy of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The groups said Marcos was convicted in 1995 for failure to file income tax returns several times. They said this made the son and namesake of the late dictator ineligible to run for office because he was a “convicted criminal.”
“The conviction of respondent Marcos Jr. by the Court of Appeals was no longer assailed by him before the Supreme Court as his appeal was subsequently withdrawn,” the petition read.
“In this regard, while it was improper for the Court of Appeals to disregard the penalty of imprisonment in the conviction of respondent Marcos Jr., the absence of any appeal therefrom only affirms the incontestable fact tat respondent Marcos Jr., is a convicted criminal,” it added.
The petitioners which included Kapatid-Families and Friends of Political Prisonsers, said Marcos was convicted by the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City on July 27, 1995. decision for his multiple failures to file income tax returns.
“This conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals and no longer appealed to the Supreme Court, thereby becoming a final and unappealable conviction,” the petitioners said in a statement.
“Having been convicted by final judgment of a violation of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), Marcos is perpetually disqualified from holding any public office, to vote and to participate in any election as mandated under the NIRC,” they added.
The groups said the crimes for which Marcos was convicted by final judgement were also crimes involving moral turpitude that disqualify Marcos from being a candidate for any office under Section 12 of the Omnibus Election Code.
The petition said that the crime is one involving moral turpitude since, among others, Marcos and his family refused and continues to refuse to pay to the Filipino people roughly P203.8 billion in estate taxes, inclusive of interests, surcharge, and other penalties. -NB, GMA News
Human rights groups ask Comelec to cancel Marcos Jr.’s certificate of candidacy
Source: Pinoy Hub News
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