Comelec files disqualification case vs Pasay mayoral bet over racist remarks

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The Comelec's anti-discrimination task force points to Pasay City mayoral candidate Editha Yambao Manguerra's 'discriminatory' remarks against Indian medical interns at the Pasay General Hospital

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec), through its task force focused on anti-discrimination, filed a disqualification case against Pasay City mayoral candidate Editha Yambao Manguerra over alleged racist remarks she made during a campaign activity.

The Comelec’s Task Force on Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections (SAFE) filed the motu proprio case against Manguerra for what it deemed as derogatory remarks against Indians during a campaign event on April 13.

In the complaint’s statement of facts, Manguerra was quoted to have said: “Tanggalin na natin ang Bumbay para wala nang amoy-sibuyas na naiiwan sa Pasay Gen.” (Let’s get rid of Bumbays so that there would be no more onion smell at Pasay Gen.)

“Bumbay” is a colloquial term for people of Indian descent, and is seen as derogatory. Manguerra was referring to Indian students who were studying and undergoing medical internship at the Pasay General Hospital at the time of the campaign event.

The Comelec’s task force issued a show cause order to Manguerra on April 15 for the candidate to explain why she should not be subject to an election offense or disqualification case. Comelec Resolution No. 11116, which is the basis of Task Force SAFE, states that any form of discrimination during election activities would be an election offense.

In her answer, Manguerra said the alleged discriminatory remark was “merely an offhand comment made in response to constituents’ concerns regarding lack of clear communication and cultural familiarity in hospital interactions at the Pasay General Hospital.”

The candidate claimed that many of the city’s indigent patients are elderly, or have limited proficiency in English. She said that some constituents raised concerns on accessibility and responsiveness of medical assistance in relation to how the foreign interns might be unfamiliar with Filipino language.

While Manguerra admitted that the use of the word “Bumbay” should have required “greater sensitivity,” she also claimed no intention of being racist. She expressed regret in the event that the remarks are taken offensively.

While taking Manguerra’s answer into consideration, Task Force SAFE still argued that she should be disqualified to run for Pasay mayor for failing to abide by the Fair Elections Act and the Comelec’s own resolutions against discrimination.

In Resolution No. 11127, which supplements the original anti-discrimination resolution, racial discrimination is defined as “any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, or any other field of public life.”

The Comelec said Manguerra’s admission of uttering the remarks was “significant.”

“It directly ties the utterance to the campaign and indicates that the language was deliberately chosen to resonate with voters…. Clearly, Respondent’s deliberate and strategic use of discriminatory and inciting remarks to appeal to her constituents — under the guise of relatability — amounts to the calculated exploitation of racial bias, with people of Indian descent as the subject of ridicule or exclusion,” the complaint reads.

The disqualification complaint will be raffled off to a Comelec division for investigation. The task force also asked that the election offense aspect of the case be referred to the commission’s Law Department.

The Comelec has the power to file motu proprio cases against candidates substantially accused of other election offenses like vote-buying and sexist remarks. – Rappler.com