President Benigno Aquino III grace the ceremony of the Pambansang Kongreso ng Wika at the Leong hall,Ateneo de Manila University(ADMU) in katipunan ave. q.c. with Theme “WIKA NATIN ANG DAAN MATUWID with Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin ADMU Pres. And Virgilio Almario Chairman of KWF ….
(MNS Photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Wednesday denied it had conspired with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to oust Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito from office.
“We certainly did not have a role in whatever happened to Governor Ejercito,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press conference.
The denial came after Ejercito claimed that the Palace wants him out of office because he is not a member of the ruling Liberal Party.
In a ruling issued on May 21, the Comelec said Ejercito spent about P6 million in just one contract for a television advertisement for his campaign when he was allowed to spend only P4.5 million for his entire campaign. The Comelec said he spent around P23.5 million in total for his campaign.
On Wednesday, Lacierda said the Comelec decision “very clearly” explains the basis for Ejercito’s disqualification.
“I think the decision speaks for itself. The acts that were outlined by the Comelec decisions clearly showed the basis for that disqualification…so wala kaming kinalaman po dito sa nangyari kay Governor ER Ejercito,” he said.
Given this, Lacierda said other aspiring candidates should remember to follow the law.
“We should clearly abide by the election rules, election procedure, and election requirements… so that whatever happened to Governor ER Ejercito may not befall them as well,” he said.
Laguna Vice Governor Ramil Hernandez had been sworn in to sit as the province’s chief local executive in place of Ejercito. (MNS)