THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ordered its legal department to conduct a preliminary investigation against losing Taguig City congressional candidate Lino Cayetano for a possible violation of the Omnibus Election Code.
In its resolution promulgated on June 18, 2025, the Comelec First Division said that while it declared the petition to cancel Cayetano’s certificate of candidacy (COC) for the 2025 midterm elections “moot and academic” due to his failure to secure a congressional seat, he may still be criminally liable for alleged false representations in his COC.
The complaint questioned the legitimacy of Cayetano’s declared residence in Pacific Residences, Barangay Ususan. He transferred his voter registration to the said barangay in Taguig’s First District on September 28, 2024, five days before he filed his COC.
Affidavits, certifications, and other evidence presented during the proceedings before the Election Registration Board and the trial courts showed that Cayetano continued to reside in Essensa Condominium in BGC, Fort Bonifacio, which is part of the city’s Second District.
Material misrepresentation under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code is punishable by imprisonment, disqualification from holding public office, and loss of voting rights. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)