THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) upholding the disqualification of former General Luna mayor Matt Erwin Florido for vote buying.
In an interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they are grateful to the SC for siding with the Comelec and its campaign against vote buying.
"’Yan ay pag-strengthen ng kapangyarihan ng Comelec at ng Committee on Kontra Bigay. Nangangahulugan na nasa tamang direksyon ang ginagawa ng Commission," said Garcia.
(That strengthens the powers of the Comelec and the Committee on Kontra Bigay. It means the commission is on the right track.)
"Korte Suprema mismo may sabi na napakalawak ng kapangyarihan ng Comelec. So long as ang decision ay base sa evidence, nirerespeto ng SC ang discretion na ’yan ng Comelec," he added.
(The Supreme Court itself said that the Comelec has broad powers. So long as the decision is based on evidence, the SC respects that discretion of the Comelec.)
On Tuesday, the SC upheld the decision of the Commission to disqualify Florido from running as representative of the third legislative district of Quezon province during the May 12, 2025 polls due to vote buying.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a group of residents of Buenavista, Quezon, alleging that his camp supposedly distributed P1,000 bills, free food, shirts, and provided transportation to participants of a public gathering.
The poll chief said they plan on using the SC ruling as a weapon to fortify their campaign against vote buying.
Garcia said they plan on utilizing it come the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
"Sa Barangay at SK elections, mas lalo namin paiigtingin. May desisyon na sa Florido vs Comelec e. So ’yun ay napakalaking bentahe sa amin nun," Garcia said.
(In the Barangay and SK elections, we will strengthen it even more. There is already a decision in Florido vs Comelec. That is a huge advantage for us.)
"Ito ay dagdag armas para gamitin namin sa mga darating pang electoral exercises, lalo na kung ang pinag-uusapan ay vote buying," he added.
(This is an additional weapon for us to use in future electoral exercises, especially when the topic is vote buying.) (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)