Guanzon on blocked House bid: I paid the highest price for backing Robredo

Former Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon files the Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance on October 6, 2024. (Photo from INQUIRER.net /JOHN ERIC MENDOZA)

MANILA, Philippines — “I’m the one who paid the highest price for supporting Leni Robredo.”

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon cited this as one of the reasons why her House of Representatives bid was thwarted.

Now, Guanzon is aiming for a House seat once more, as she filed in Manila Hotel Tent City on Sunday the Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance for P3PWD party-list.

She is the party-list’s first nominee.

In 2022 polls, the P3PWD secured a total of 391,174 votes, making it qualified for a seat.

All of its original nominees submitted their resignation or withdrawal to the Comelec to give way to Guanzon.

However, Guanzon’s House bid was challenged by the Duterte Youth party-list, which filed a petition questioning her nomination before the Supreme Court (SC).

Duterte Youth complained that her application was filed only after the deadline.

The SC then issued a temporary restraining order on the former Comelec commissioner’s substitution bid.

Guanzon was asked why she was replacing P3PWD’s original first nominee Grace Yaneza.

The former poll official said Yaneza had resigned to look after her daughter who had terminal cancer.

“Her daughter had stage 4 terminal, aggressive CA (cancer) so she couldn’t sit,” Guanzon said. “They go to the hospital, she says, three times a week. So, she (Yaneza) could no longer do it.”