MANILA, Philippines – Vice presidential aspirant Senator Francis Escudero hit petitioner Rizalito David following the Commission on Elections’ decision declaring David a “nuisance candidate” and disqualifying him from the 2016 presidential elections.

Escudero said the disqualification of David, who filed two disqualification cases against presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe, is a taste of his own medicine.

“At least naramdaman ‘nya ano pakiramdam ng may gustong magpa-disqualify sa kanya. Marahil mas mauunawaan ‘nya ang sakit at pait ng ginagawa ‘nya partikular sa isang kandidato na hindi tulad ‘nya na lamang na lamang at gusto ng mas nakararaming kababayan,” Escudero said on Thursday, December 10, with a swipe at David’s survey ratings. 

(At least he now knows how it feels when someone wants to disqualify you. Perhaps he now understands better the pain and bitterness of what he is doing to a candidate, who, unlike him, is way ahead in surveys and has the support of the people.)

Asked if David should now drop his cases against Poe, Escudero said: “’Di naman, at least alam ‘nya ginawa ‘nya at epekto nito sa ginagawan ‘nya noon.”

(Not really, at least he knows what he did and the effects of it.)

David filed two disqualification cases against the neophyte senator – one before the Senate Electoral Tribunal and the other before the poll body. Claiming the SET decision dismissing his case is politically motivated, David appealed the ruling before the Supreme Court.

Poe, for her part, said David has the right to appeal his case, in the same way she did with the Comelec Second Division ruling disqualifying her. “Karapatan ‘nya na i-akyat ‘nya sa anumang kaso, sila na bahala maghusga ‘dyan.” 

(It is his right to appeal any case, [the proper courts] should decide on the issue.)

‘That’s so funny’

For David, his disqualification is way different from that of Poe, as he said he was excluded from the race due to monetary concerns and not because of constitutional violations.

“That’s so funny. ‘Yung aking disqualification ko dahil wala akong pera. ‘Yung kay Grace Poe, constitutional issue because she is not a natural-born Filipino and has no right to be president and to remain as a senator. Those are two different things,” David told Rappler in a phone interview.

(That’s so funny. My disqualification was due to lack of campaign money, while Grace Poe’s disqualification stemmed from a constitutional issue because she is not a natural-born Filipino and has no right to be president and to remain as a senator. Those are two different things.)

David maintained the poll body erred in its decision against him, saying there is no constitutional provision requiring funds before a candidate can run for president.

“The decision was violative of the Constitution because money is not a requirement. Poe, on the other hand, violated the Constitution because she is not a natural-born Filipino citizen,” David said. – Rappler.com