Kandidatura ni incumbent 2nd district Councilor Awi Sia kinansela ng Comelec
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Ang certificate of candidacy ng incumbent second district Councilor na si Awi Sia ay kinansela ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) dahil dati na itong nahatulan sa pagnanakaw ng kuryente kaya naman siya ay hindi na kailanman puwedeng tumakbo sa kahit anong posisyon sa gobyerno.
Sa 15-pahinang desisyon ng Comelec ang COC ni Councilor Darwin B. Sia para sa May 12, 2025 national and local elections “is hereby denied due course and cancelled.” SI Sia ay tumatakbo sa tiket ni Francisco Domagoso.
Ang resolution, na pinonente nina Comelec Second Division Presiding Officer Rey Bulay at Commissioners Nelson Celis at Noli Pipo, ay nagsasaad na nang maghain siya ng COC, sinumpaan ni Sia na siya ay ‘eligible’ para tumakbo bilang konsehal.
Gayunman, binanggit ng Comelec na ‘it is public knowledge and widely circulated’ Sia had been convicted by final judgement by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 19 in a case of illegal use of electricity or anti-pilferage. The case, docketed as criminal case no. 12-293357, convicted Sia for violation of Section 2(a) of Republic Act No. 7832, otherwise known as the Anti-Pilferage Act of 1994 and was sentenced to pay a fine of P10,000.
“This offense, by its very nature, constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude,” Sabi ng resolution, at idinagdag pa na sa ilalim ng Omnibus Election Code, “an individual is disqualified to be a candidate for an elective position and from holding any office if such a person has been sentenced by final judgement for a crime involving moral turpitude.” Pareho rin ito ng Section 40 ng Local Government Code.
“Responden’ts eligibility if unmistakable. A plain reading of the two separate provisions of law clearly states that the conviction for a case involving moral turpitude is a ground to perpetually disqualify one from running for an elective office absent any plenary pardon or amnesty,” dagdag pa ng resolution
“Moral turpitude has been defined as including any act done contrary to justice, honesty, modesty or good morals… Furthermore, it is a well-settled jurisprudence that theft is a crime involving moral turpitude,” ayon pa sa resolution na nagpaliwanag din na kahit alam ni Awi ang legal consequences, sinadya pa ring itago “deliberately concealed” ang kanyang conviction sa kanyang COC.
“With clear knowledge of his disqualification due to a conviction…respondent falsely represented himself as eligible for the position he seeks.Such a misrepresentation is a material matter that directly impacts his eligibility and warrants the cancellation of his COC,” sabi ng Comelec. (ANDI GARCIA)
