Focus: Rowena Guanzon

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon retired February 2, 2022 after reaching the retirement age of 65, leaving a firestorm of controversy on the disqualification case of presidential candidate Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr.

Fellow Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino was tasked to write the decision on the disqualification case but got delayed because of COVID infections in her office.

Ferolino said Guanzon was trying to influence her decision after Guanzon publicly revealed her personal decision to disqualify Bongbong for failure to pay taxes while serving as Ilocos governor.

(A retired Ilocos Norte judge recounted his first-hand experience, saying Bongbong was rarely at his office at that time.)

Guanzon, on the other hand, was raised by parents who valued intellectual integrity. He mother was the daughter of a mayor and one the country’s first female politicians. Her father was a retired judge and World War II hero.

“My parents were courageous, patriotic people. They taught us to stand up and fight for what is right even if it cost you your conveniences and your life,” Guanzon said.

The feisty Guanzon hails from Cadiz, Negros Occidental. Associates and friends say Guanzon never backs down from an argument and almost always has the last word.

She has two sisters and five brothers who failed to bully her growing up. Her parents trained her to fight against the boys.

At Silliman University, she was almost kicked out for protesting against school rules.

After earning an economics degree at UP, she studied law also at UP. She later earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

She served as Cadiz mayor for seven years before joining the Commission on Audit as one of the commissioners.

She was appointed by Pres. Noynoy Aquino to the Comelec in 2015.

Her top advocacy have been gender equality and violence against women. She has written articles and books on the subject.

People noticed her when she criticized Duterte for his rape joke against Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill who was raped and killed by Davao inmates who escaped.

She later dissented to Comelec’s decision to allow Duterte to substitute as presidential candidate in 2016.

Apparently, she is comfortable with unpopular decisions and knows what she is doing. She was raised well, with high moral standards.

She is leaving Comelec and public service with her head held high, undaunted by threats to disbar her by Bongbong’s political party. BBM supporters want to crucify her. But she has innumerable silent allies who are rooting for her.