Rowena Guanzon to Sit as Party-List Representative

Retired Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon will sit as representative of the P3PWD party-list in the 19th Congress after the poll body approved her nomination as the group's first nominee, its spokesperson said Wednesday.

With a majority vote, the Commission en banc approved the recommendation of the poll body's law department to grant the list of new nominees of the party-list, including Guanzon, after its original five nominees withdrew, said Comelec acting spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco.

Also approved as new nominees of the party-list are Rosalie Garcia, Cherrie Belmonte-Lim, Donnabel Tenorio, and Rodolfo B. Villar Jr.

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Guanzon, who initially was only a supporter of the party-list catering to persons with disabilities, said in recent statements that she would represent the group in Congress if it won a seat even as she was not an official nominee.

Last month, Guanzon drew flak on social media for attending a meeting with House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and for shaking hands with congressman-elect Sandro Marcos, son of president-elect Bongbong Marcos.

Guanzon made headlines last year for publicly announcing her vote to disqualify Marcos in the presidential race and for claiming that the resolution on such cases was deliberately being delayed so her vote would not be counted.

She explained, however, that she needed to work with Romualdez and Marcos in order to pass measures catering to PWDs.

A total of 55 party-list groups were declared winners in the May 9 elections, filling up the 62 seats alloted for party-list representatives in the 19th Congress.