DQ petition filed vs. bet

CEBU, Philippines — Two Mandaue City residents have filed a petition to disqualify Atty. Nilo “Olin” Seno and suspend his proclamation if he wins in the elections.

 Complainants Eydie “Ligaya” Sanrojo and Christian Ceniza wants Seno be disqualified to run for the position of Mandaue City councilor, for violating Section 2 (r) and Section 3 of Comelec Resolution 11116 dated February 19, 2025, as amended by Comelec Resolution 11127, dated April 8, 2025, in relation to Section 261 (e) of the Omnibus Election Code.

That section addresses violation of an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance or to any act “during the election period, in connection with or in relation to any election-related activity including but not limited to campaign activities, falling under the prohibited acts of an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance committed within the territorial jurisdiction of a local government unit implementing said ordinance”.

The complainants also prayed to suspend Seno’s proclamation if he wins in the elections as the evidence against him is strong.

However, Seno isn’t seeking a seat in the City Council but as board member of Cebu’s 6th District.

“This is a dismissible complaint. This is just a piece of paper. This is just a move to hassle a potential winning candidate,” said Seno when sought for comment.

In the complainant, Sanrojo alleged that March 29, 2025, while on was on duty as CSWS street facilitator near the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex at the North Reclamation Area where One Mandaue political slate was conducting their proclamation rally at that time, Seno made fun of Atty. Regal Oliva's gender while speaking.

“Atty. Seno mocked and degraded Atty. Oliva by projecting actions attributable to a ‘gay’ person by bending his knees and stretching out his arms in a feminine way, but in a disrespectful manner aimed to draw laughs from the crowd. Atty. Seno then gave reference to Atty. Regal Oliva's podcast titled ‘Regal POV’ and criticized the political views of the latter,” Sanrojo said.

Immediately after, the song "Modelong Charing" by BlakDyak played in the background and Seno was swaying to its beat, drawing laughs and jeers from the crowd.

 “I was offended as a member of the LGBTQ++ community, since Atty. Seno can validly criticize Atty. Oliva's political stand without giving reference to or mocking Atty. Oliva's gender identity,” Sanrojo said.

Ceniza also corroborated Sanrojo statement saying he too was offended by Seno’s statements.

Seno has also filed a separate petition to disqualify Oliva who is seeking the congressional seat in the Lone District of Mandaue City against Representative Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano Dizon.

Seno is part of Dizon's political party, One Mandaue.

Seno said he came across videos in social media featuring Oliva in several of their campaign sorties. In those videos, Seno said that he was surprised to hear Oliva make discriminatory and degrading remarks about himself, his partymate Dizon, and Nerissa Soon Ruiz, candidate for vice mayor of Mandaue City.

Seno said that Oliva made derogatory remarks regarding Ruiz's appearance, particularly the “age already showing on her face”.

Oliva allegedly went on further to mock and ridicule the size and appearance of his nose, as if it were a condition that affected his person and identity.

He summarized his discriminatory remarks by then claiming to have possessed such deformities, looking in the mirror and seeing a monster and calling the petitioner ugly, "ka ngil-ad g’yud".

In another video Seno said that Oliva can be seen and heard making discriminatory remarks against Dizon, who was called a "tomboy" or lesbian, who backstabbed a political ally of his.

“The remark did not have anything to do with the platform and policies of the incumbent representative Ouano-Dizon, but was simply made in order to ridicule and mock her person and elicit laughter and jeers from his audience,” Seno said.

Sought for comments, Oliva said, “Seno has filed a disqualification case against me --not because I cheated, not because I lied, but because I called out his cruelty. My words, though sharp, came from a place of pain --a response to the homophobic attacks he launched against me and the LGBT community I love and proudly belong to.”

“He mocked who I am. He reduced my personhood to a punchline. And now he runs to the courts because I refused to stay silent,” Oliva added. (CEBU NEWS)