A 20-year-old who filed her certificate of candidacy as an independent candidate for councilor of Bacolod City will be disqualified from running in the 2013 elections asthe minimum age requirement for a councilor for a highly urbanized city is 23¸ Bacolod Elections Officer Mavil Majarucon-Sia said yesterday.

Joelyn Tizon of Brgy. Alijis filed her CoC on October 4 at the Commission on Elections Office in Bacolod City.

She just discovered recently that Tizon is only 20 years old, so she reported the matter to Esmeralda Ladra, director 4 of the COMELEC Law Department in Manila, in a letter she sent yesterday, Majarucon-Sia said.

Majarucon-Sia said Tizon will be issued an order by the Law Department informing her that she is disqualified by reason of age.

She said Tizon will turn 21 on September next year yet.

In an interview over ABS CBN yesterday, Tizon said her classmates in Iloilo were already councilors at 18.

However, Majarucon-Sia informed her that the age requirement for councilor of ahighly urbanized city is 23. For municipalities and component cities, the age requirement is 18, she said.

Tizon went to the COMELEC Office in Bacolod City yesterday to register as a new voter.

Majarucon-Sia said the registration of voters will end on October 31 and she is reminding voters to register early and not to wait for the deadline.

THE TWO SAYSONS

Meanwhile, the COMELEC in Manila has scheduled a hearing on the petition filed by mayoralty candidate Jude Thaddeus Sayson against his namesake Julius Sayson, also a mayoralty candidate, to declare himnuisance candidate.

Crystal Vega, counsel of Vice Mayor Sayson, said she received an official text message from COMELEC about the conduct of hearing on their petition but no specific date was given.

She said the COMELEC Bacolod has also received a notice of hearing from COMELEC Manila on their petition but they are still finalizing thedocuments needed for the hearing.

Vega said the hearing will be conducted in Manila and there is a possibility that the two Saysons will be summoned to attend it, to observe due process so both sides can be heard by the Commission, she said.

It is up to the camp of Julius Sayson if they will appear at the hearing and give their side, or defend their stand, Vega said. "But on our part, we are ready to present our evidence to prove our allegation," she said.

Vega said they believe they have a strong case to prove that Julius Sayson deserves to be declared a nuisance candidate.*CGS

back to top