Palace won’t intervene in Cardema, Guanzon row

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang rejected yesterday former National Youth Commission chairman Ronald Cardema’s call for President Duterte to support him in his fight against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon whom Cardema accused of extortion. 

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte does not meddle in issues that do not concern the Palace.  

Cardema, who has been disqualified by the Comelec as a nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list, claimed that an emissary of Guanzon had asked him for political favors in exchange for the approval of the group’s accreditation.

Cardema said the emissary, whom he claimed to be a member of the House of Representatives, supposedly demanded the appointment of a lawyer as a regional trial court judge in Iloilo.

Guanzon dismissed Cardema’s allegation as an attempt to intimidate her and force her to inhibit from his case.

“If Cardema has evidence, he should file a complaint. He doesn’t need to go to media to talk about it. Why does he have to drag the Palace in the issue?” Panelo said. “We will not intrude in anything that does not concern the Palace. That’s between him and Commissioner Guanzon.”

The Comelec has ruled that Cardema, 34, is not qualified to become a nominee of the Duterte Youth, saying he is too old to represent the youth group.

Under the law on party-list system, youth representatives should be at least 25 to 30 years old.

Cardema has argued that the age limit does not apply to him because he represents young professionals. 

Poll watchdog Kontradaya aired its support for Guanzon.

The group backed Guanzon’s effort to cleanse the party-list system and restore genuine marginalized representation by cancelling the accreditation of the Duterte Youth. – With Edith Regalado, Mayen Jaymalin