Richard Gomez bids his congress hopes goodbye after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc affirmed the initial decision handed down by its First Division disqualifying the actor from running in the upcoming polls.
The commission cited anew Gomez's failure to establish his residency in Ormoc, Leyte. Individuals running for public office on the local government level are required by law to have at least one-year of residency in the city or province they choose to represent.
According to the complaint submitted by former Ormoc barangay chairman Buenaventura Juntilla, Gomez's true residence is in San Juan here in Manila and not Can Adien in Ormoc, as his certificate of candidacy stated.
Gomez and his lawyers reportedly will not contest the decision.
The camp of Gomez had already endorsed the actor's wife, Lucy Torres-Gomez, as his replacement even before the Comelec issued its final ruling on the disqualification issue.
In an interview with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last April 11, Lucy was optimistic that the Comelec would favor her husband's petition, though they also anticipated a long delay in the issuance of the resolution.
A few weeks after the interview, PEP announced in an article published on April 29 that Lucy—who is a native of Ormoc, Leyte—will assume Richard's congress bid.
"We didn't want to wait for the en banc decision to come out. This will save us from all the worries, and the lawyers are now fixing everything," Richard told PEP in a phone interview.
Richard admitted in a separate interview with GMA News that the decision to accept the role was hard for Lucy at first but she eventually agreed after they thoroughly discussed the matter.