TEN winning candidates in the recently concluded Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) have been disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after being found liable for premature campaigning and vote buying acts.
In a statement, the Comelec announced on Friday, November 10, 2023, that a total of 21 candidates in the BSKE have been disqualified by either the First and Second Division of the poll body.
"The Commission on Elections has granted motu proprio Petitions for Disqualification against 21 candidates in the October 30, 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections," said the Comelec.
Of the 21 disqualified bets, there were 10 who won in the last elections while the other 11 lost their electoral bids.
Among those who won, nine were disqualified due to premature campaigning, while the other one is due to vote buying.
Of the 10, there were two who won as barangay chairpersons, three as barangay kagawads, two as SK chairpersons, and three as SK kagawads.
Among those who lost, all 11 were disqualified after being found liable for premature campaigning.
Of the 11, nine ran for SK kagawads and the other two ran for barangay kagawads.
Tarlac had the most number of disqualified candidates with seven, followed by four each in Batangas and Laguna.
Pampanga had two candidates disqualified while Manila City, Quezon City, Rizal and Maguindanao del Norte each had one bet disqualified.
It can be recalled that the Comelec had earlier ordered the suspension of the proclamation of winning candidates if they still have pending disqualification cases due to vote buying, premature campaigning, and illegal campaigning.
There remains 318 motu proprio disqualification cases against BSKE candidates that are still pending before the commission.
These include 292 disqualification cases for premature/illegal campaigning and 26 for vote buying and/or vote selling.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia reiterated their commitment to immediately resolve all pending disqualification cases.
"The remaining 318 motu proprio cases will be resolved with haste," said Garcia. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)