THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has denied the petition to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) for president of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., said lawyer Teodore Te, the petitioners’ legal counsel, on Monday, January 17, 2022.
“Comelec Second Division denies petition to cancel Marcos Jr.'s COC, ruling essentially that the representations required are material but that they are not false,” Te said in a Twitter post.
“Petitioners disagree and will seek reconsideration within the period provided under the Comelec Rules,” he added.
In November, Fr. Christian Buenafe of Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Fides Lim of Kapatid, Ma. Edeliza Hernandez of Medical Action Group, Celia Lagman Sevilla of Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance, Roland Vibal of Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, and Josephine Lascano of Balay Rehabilitation Center filed the petition urging the Comelec to cancel or deny Marcos’s COC due to “multiple false material representations” it contains.
The petitioners specified that Marcos falsified his COC when he claimed that he was eligible to be a candidate for president of the Philippines in the 2022 national elections when in fact, he is disqualified from doing so, citing his conviction before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in 1995 over his “multiple failures” to file his income tax returns.
Meanwhile, the Comelec First Division cancelled the supposed issuance of decision on the disqualification cases against Marcos on Monday, January 17, due to the rise in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases.
"Unfortunately, wala pa po dahil hindi pa ready ‘yung draft," Comelec Director 3 Elaiza Sabile David said in a radio interview.
"Kasama na rin po yung lawyers po sa office ng Commissioner kung sino ‘yung ponente po, nagkasakit so medyo tinamaan din ng Covid. Magkakaroon po ng delay po sa paglabas ng decision ng promulgation...Priority muna ang pagpapagaling ng kanilang staff," she added.
Presiding Commissioner Rowena Guanzon denied that one of the Comelec commissioners contracted the coronavirus.
"Not true that Comm of First Div has Covid, but in isolation due to close contact with Covid positive staff," she said in a Twitter post.
There were two petitions filed to cancel the COC of Marcos and four petitions for his disqualification. (SunStar Philippines)