FORMER elections commissioner and now incoming P3PWD party-list Rep. Rowena Guanzon yesterday filed an administrative complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against her nemesis, National Youth Commission (NYC) chief Ronald Cardema over his tirades against her on his Facebook account.
The 19-page complaint, which is seeking P8 million in damages, was anchored on Cardema’s claim that Guanzon forced all P3PWD nominees to resign so that she could sit as its first nominee in the House of Representatives, an act which Guanzon said is unbecoming of a public official like Cardema, who has a rank of undersecretary.
She accused Cardema of violating Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
“Respondent, fueled by his personal grudge against me, insulted and mocked me multiple times. The baseless accusations he hurled against me constantly exposed me to public ridicule and shame and bespeak of malice of the highest degree,” Guanzon said in the complaint.
Guanzon, who is a lawyer, said that because of Cardema’s attacks, she suffered a “great deal of public embarrassment and humiliation as he besmirched my reputation.”
She cited Cardema’s statement that she was suffering from “karma” based on his claim that she could not substitute as first nominee of the Komunidad ng Pamilya, Pasyente at Persons with Disabilities (P3PWD) party-list because she failed to meet the deadline. Her entry as first nominee has been approved by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“His words deeply wounded my feelings, I suffered mental anguish and serious anxiety. I spent sleepless nights thinking about the malicious imputations he hurled against me,” she said.
Cardema has been attacking Guanzon after he was disqualified by the Comelec from becoming a nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list group during the 2019 elections.
Cardema was substituted by his wife, current Duterte Youth party list Rep. Ducielle Marie Cardema.
Guanzon’s complaint said the law mandates Cardema “to endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage, respect the rights of others and refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety and public interest, respectively.”
As a public official, it said Cardema is expected “to observe and be an example of decorum and to display only such becoming of the office that he represents.”
“Here, Respondent is doing the exact opposite: posting texts, photos and videos in Facebook which demeans me as a person and as a lawyer, spreading untruthful statements against me which encourages and incite his friends/followers to ridicule me, hurling unnecessary insulting and humiliating remarks against me in social media which basically tramples underfoot the most basic of social decency required of a human person,” Guanzon said.
Just late last month, Guanzon filed charges of libel and unjust vexation before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office against Cardema, who, with his wife, earlier filed a petition asking the Supreme Court (SC) to stop Guanzon from assuming the post as a congresswoman.
In a statement released by Rep. Cardema’s office, the NYC chief said the Ombudsman complaint “is a frivolous, vague, and baseless complaint that can easily be answered in the ombudsman.”
“We are reminded again of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Resolution that recommended that Atty. Rowena Guanzon be censured for her filing of harassment and baseless suits,” he said.
