Rizalito David

Rizalito David
David at a COMELEC debate, 2022
Personal details
BornRizalito Yap David
(1963-01-12) January 12, 1963
Tondo, Manila
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños
OccupationRadio commentator

Rizalito Yap David (born January 12, 1963) is a Filipino politician and radio commentator. He entered University of the Philippines Los Baños and was a staff of an election tandem, Senators Francisco Tatad and Robert Jaworski, and Congressman Hernando Perez. He ran for senator in 2010 and 2013, gaining 49th out of 61 places with a total of 451,089 votes and 30th out of 33 places with 1,035,971 votes, respectively. In August 2015, he filed a complaint against Senator Grace Poe, which was rejected by the Senate Electoral Tribunal, but it caused the short disqualification of Poe from the 2016 Philippine presidential election. Since then, he ran for president and vice president two times: in the 2016 elections, where he was declared a nuisance candidate, and the 2022 Philippine vice-presidential election, where he gained 9th (last) with 56,711 (0.11 percent) votes.

Early life and career

Rizalito Yap David was born on January 12, 1963, in Tondo, Manila.[1][2] Tina Santos of the Philippine Daily Inquirer said that David was born in a "broken home," with David stating that his grandfather, Tiburcio David, was among the greatest influences in his life.[2] When he was 17, he joined the underground movement, fighting for a "just and humane society based on ideology" according to Santos, and two years later, he reportedly was a participant in the "military’s order of battle."[2] He then entered the University of the Philippines Los Baños, serving as the research assistant and instructor at the Program on Environmental Sciences and Management. He graduated with a degree in environmental studies and sociology. He worked at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, where he was the development management officer and eventually the chief of the Strategic Planning and Policy Studies Office. He subsequently became the chief of the Research and Monitoring Staff of the Liberal Party-PDP–Laban tandem in the 1992 Philippine general election.[2] He then became the executive assistant and secretary or the supervising legislative staff officer of Senator Francisco Tatad. He later was hired as the consultant on political affairs and head of the political operations for Mindanao for House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Hernando Perez in 1997 and as the head executive assistant and concurrent director for political affairs for Senator Robert Jaworski from 1998 to 2004. During his stints under Tatad, Perez, and Jaworski, he worked on major environmental laws. He thanked Tatad for improving his intellectual discipline and Jaworski for instilling his "never say die" attitude towards work.[2]

Political candidacies

Senate runs

In November 2009, David filed his certificate of candidacy for the 2010 Philippine Senate election under Ang Kapatiran along with six other senatorial candidates, presidential candidate John Carlos de los Reyes, and vice presidential candidate Dominador Chipeco Jr.[3] By December 15, a list of 58 approved senatorial candidates, including David, was released.[4] Three more candidates were accepted, leading to a total of 61.[5] David opposed charter change and had a net worth of ₱100,000 by that time, the party garnering the support of Catholic bishops and leaders of other churches.[6][7] In the overall results, he placed 49th out of 61 places with a total of 451,089 votes, not placing in the top 12 and therefore losing.[5] On October 4, 2012, David filed his certificate of candidacy for the 2013 Philippine Senate election under Ang Kapatiran along with de los Reyes and lawyer Marwil Llasos in a coalition named "Tatlo Kontra Trapo" (transl. Three Against Trapo). They marketed themselves as an alternative to the two main running coalitions in the elections, adding that the negative reactions against political dynasties and celebrities were a sign that "Filipinos have had enough."[7] On October 12, the candidacies of 27 people were accepted, including all three Ang Kapatiran candidates, and five more candidates were added on October 26, bringing the total to 32.[8] The total number of candidates in the election was 33.[9] David was one of the 14 senatorial aspirants that participated in "The Rundown," a senatorial debate held in the University of the Philippines Diliman on February 7.[10] In the event, David had a debate against panelist and activist Carlos Celdran over church teachings.[11] In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, David said that the party may not be visible unlike other parties but said they were "doing [our] homework" to win. He added that he ran again because he was on a mission, saying that he kept on fighting. If he was elected, he planned to place his Catholic faith in the center of governance and reflect it in laws and programs.[2] David lost, gaining 30th out of 33 places with 1,035,971 votes, receiving the highest number of votes in a region from Metro Manila (133,105).[9]

Presidential and vice-presidential runs

On October 12, 2015, David filed his certificate of candidacy for president in the 2016 Philippine presidential election under Ang Kapatiran alongside his running mate Albert Alba. In his speech, he said that he would espouse Catholic ways in governance and would not file a disqualification case against Poe if she runs for president.[12] The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) declared David a nuisance candidate on December 9, with the COMELEC Second Division stating that David misrepresented himself and, with his current job, could not do a national campaign. David filed a motion for reconsideration in response, stating that there was no rule in the Constitution or the Omnibus Election Code that stated a candidate has to have financial capability for a national campaign.[13] In January 2016, the Supreme Court of the Philippines (SC) upheld David's disqualification from the presidential polls.[14] The motion for reconsideration was rejected by the SC on February 4, leading David to request the SC to reverse its decision.[15] In March 2016, the SC ruled with finality over disqualifying David.[16] He ran for vice president in the 2022 Philippine presidential election under the Democratic Party of the Philippines alongside presidential candidate Jose Montemayor Jr.[17][18] Their proclamation rally was held at a condominium unit in Pasay on February 9, with prayer and worship songs.[19] David attended the CNN Philippines vice presidential debate on February 26,[20] the COMELEC Pilipinas Debate in Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila on March 20,[21] and was interviewed in the COMELEC-Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Pilipinas Forum Series.[22] Although David was the running mate of Montemayor, David supported presidential candidate and former Vice President Leni Robredo to win against main candidate Bongbong Marcos in their Pilipinas Forum episode with Montemayor, also endorsing Vice Presidential Candidate Tito Sotto.[23] David wanted price controls for the rising fuel prices due to the Russo-Ukrainian war and would keep watch on Marcos if he won the presidency.[24][25] David gained 9th or last place with 56,711 (0.11 percent) votes while Montemayor Jr. gained 60,592 (0.11 percent) votes.[26]

David v. Poe

David filed a complaint to unseat Senator Grace Poe on August 6, 2015, before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) for allegedly failing to meet residency and citizenship requirements for office.[27] The Tribunal rejected the complaint 5-4, with all five opposing votes being Senators and three of the supporting votes being members of the SC.[28] A motion for reconsideration filed by David to reverse the ruling by SET was rejected on December 3, 2015.[29][30] On December 23, 2015, COMELEC disqualified Poe from running as president in the 2016 elections for failing to meet the 10-year residency requirement, but she said she would appeal the disqualification to the SC,[31] which issued a temporary restraining order preventing the disqualification.[32] David then filed an appeal with the SC, stating that there was no proof Poe was of Filipino blood.[33] At the court's request, the Office of the Solicitor General submitted an opinion on the SET ruling to the SC on January 4, 2016, which supported the rejection.[32]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Rizalito David
Year Office Party Votes received Result
Total % P. Swing
2010 Senator of the Philippines Ang Kapatiran 451,089 N/a 49th N/a Lost
2013 1,035,971 N/a 30th N/a Lost
2022 Vice President of the Philippines Democratic Party of the Philippines 56,711 0.11 9th N/a Lost

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Rizalito David". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Santos, Tina G. (March 3, 2013). "Rizalito David wants God back in center of governance". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ Tan, Kimberly Jane; Calonzo, Andreo (November 23, 2009). "Olongapo councilor De los Reyes formalizes presidential bid". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Comelec names approved presidential, VP, senatorial bets". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "National Election Results Tally - Eleksyon 2010". GMA News Online. May 20, 2010. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "The Vote 2010: Know your Senators". The Philippine Star. May 8, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Aning, Jerome (October 5, 2012). "Kapatiran fields 3 Senate bets, vows to fight dynasties". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  8. ↑ Santos, Reynaldo Jr. (October 26, 2012). "Comelec approves 5 more senatorial bets". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Santos, Reynaldo Jr. (May 15, 2013). "Official tally of votes for the 2013 senatorial race". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  10. ↑ Gutierrez, Natashya (February 7, 2013). "Senate bets weigh in on divorce, marijuana". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ Gutierrez, Natashya (February 8, 2013). "Celdran gets scolding from senatorial candidate". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ Dioquino, Rose-An Jessica (October 12, 2015). "Poe's accuser Rizalito David files COC for president". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  13. ↑ Macas, Trisha (December 9, 2015). "Comelec declares Rizalito David as nuisance candidate". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ Viray, Patricia Lourdes (January 12, 2016). "SC upholds disqualification of Pamatong, David, 5 others". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ Meruenas, Mark (February 19, 2016). "Rizalito David asks SC to reverse decision upholding his disqualification". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  16. ↑ Meruenas, Mark (March 1, 2016). "SC rules with finality on disqualifying Rizalito David, other 'nuisance' bets". GMA News Online. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Rappler: 2022 Philippine election results". Rappler. Archived from the original on May 31, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Presidential hopeful Jose Montemayor votes". ABS-CBN News. May 9, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  19. ↑ Ombay, Giselle (February 9, 2022). "Prayer, worship songs mark Montemayor-David campaign kickoff for Eleksyon 2022". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  20. ↑ "VP candidate Atienza to skip CNNPH debate for surgery". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  21. ↑ "MB Daily News Update: VP bets lock horns". Manila Bulletin. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Comelec-KBP forum series starts airing May 3". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  23. ↑ "VP bet David officially endorses Robredo for president". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  24. ↑ Rey, Aika (February 26, 2022). "Vice presidential bets want price controls amid rising fuel prices". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  25. ↑ "David to keep watch on Marcos Jr. if they win in Eleksyon 2022; Tito, Kiko push for bets". GMA News Online. February 26, 2022. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  26. ↑ "OFFICIAL RESULTS: 2022 presidential, vice presidential election". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  27. ↑ Rosario, Ben R.; Casayuran, Mario B. (August 7, 2015). "Citizenship case against Poe finally filed". The Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  28. ↑ Geronimo, Jee (November 23, 2015). "Why did SC justices vote to disqualify Grace Poe?". Rappler. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  29. ↑ Morong, Joseph; Meruenas, Mark (December 3, 2015). "Grace Poe is a natural-born Filipino, SET affirms". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  30. ↑ Marcelo, Elizabeth (November 23, 2015). "Rizalito David appeals disqualification case vs. Grace Poe". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Comelec en banc bars Grace Poe from running in 2016". Rappler. December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  32. 1 2 "OSG favors set ruling on Poe". Malaya. January 5, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Oral arguments on Poe case pushed". The Manila Times. December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.