Wrong form derails Senate bid of ex-Mayor Afuang

Former Pagsanjan Mayor Abner Afuang was at the Comelec head office to file his COC to run for a senate post but his attempt was derailed as he used the wrong form. PHOTO BY LLANESCA L. PANTI

A wrong version for the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) got in the way of the Senate bid of former Pagsanjan Mayor Abner Afuang.

Afuang noted that it puzzles him as to why a new form is being used when he got the form the Commission on Elections itself.

“Itong form galing rito [sa Comelec] eh.  Alam niyo, senior [citizen] na ako eh. Tatanda rin kayo,” Afuang said.

Lawyer Frances Arabe of Comelec confirmed that there is a new form, but noted that it can be downloaded via the Comelec website.

The new form differs from the previous one because of Item No. 22 which asks the would-be candidate if he or she has been slapped with a penalty of perpetual disqualification from office as a result of a case. If the answer is yes, the back portion of the form provides a space for the candidate to fill in the details of the cases.

Afuang said that if his COC won’t be accepted, it will be all right with him.

“Kung hindi tanggapin, [eh] di hindi na,” Afuang said.

As of posting time, Afuang is yet to re-file his COC using the correct form.

Afuang then proceeded to rant about politicians opposing the restoration of death penalty because the narco-politicians will be the first to die.

By 11 a.m., Afuang was able to file the correct COC form.

Back at the podium, he said that he will push for the passage of the law restoring the death penalty for heinous crimes.

“Dapat ipasa ang death penalty, kahit magalit pa sa akin ang Simbahang Katoliko,”

He also vowed to buy for as much as 1,000 polygraph machines that he will use on corrupt politicians.

Another aspirant who filled out a wrong COC form was Carmelo Carreon of Iloilo City who claims that he is popular in social media.

As of this posting, Carreon was yet to refile the correct COC form. — BAP/LBG, GMA News