Iligan City—A former drug personality, who was once on President Rodrigo Duterte’s watchlist, was the first to file his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections office here as an independent candidate for the City Council.
Jeffrey Rebleza, who is a second-term village councilor in Barangay Poblacion here, filed his COC on Oct. 11 but had to refile it after the City Comelec found that he inadvertently used the old COC form.
Assistant Election Officer Dimasirang Tomas said Friday the new COC form for the 2019 midterm elections has been amended.
“The new form also has additional questions that need to be answered. We told him [Rebleza] to fill up the new form,” Tomas explained.
Rebleza, who is engaged in construction, said he immediately filled up another form that was accepted by the Comelec.
It was not the first time for Rebleza, an admitted former drug user, to taste rejection. In the last barangay elections, his colleagues dropped him from their slate because of his history with illegal drug use.
However, Rebleza said he has already changed his ways and has been “clean” for a long time. He also maintained that he was never engaged in selling illegal drugs.
When his name was included on Duterte’s drug watchlist in 2016, the barangay councilor said he immediately surrendered to the Philippine National Police. As a result, he said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has already dropped his name from the watchlist.
Rebleza, who was elected village chairman in 1993, admitted that his bout with illegal drugs had once cost him the trust of his constituents. He said he served as coordinator of the youth affairs office of the local government unit from 2003 to 2009 but was fired because he got hooked on illegal drugs.
“I believe all of us have an undesirable past and I believe we are capable of changing our lives for good. I believe my only mistake was being a drug user, but I did not kill, and I did not steal. I am now going straightforward,” he said.
Meanwhile, the local Comelec office said it rejected the COC of a mayoral aspirant after he checked all the boxes in the form.
Tomas, the assistant City Comelec officer, said Manuel Battung’s COC was rejected after he checked all the boxes instead of choosing only the appropriate ones.
Battung even checked the “yes” box on the question if he has ever been “found liable for an offense, which carries with it the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification to hold public office, which has become final and executory.”
“We advised him to fill up a new form but [he] did not return,” Tomas said.
