TARLAC City Vice Mayor Katherine Therese Angeles is set to assume the mayoral post once the disqualification of Mayor Susan Yap-Sulit becomes final and executory.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Angeles will take over as soon as its ruling annulling Yap-Sulit’s victory in the May 2025 polls is implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“It is in our decision that the one who will sit is the vice mayor. She will succeed to the mayoral post that will be vacated,” said Comelec Chairman George Garcia in an interview Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
Garcia said the Comelec is now ready to issue the certificate of finality and entry of judgment, unless the Supreme Court (SC) issues a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Comelec ruling.
“It is stated in our rules that the decision of the Comelec en banc becomes final and executory five days after promulgation, unless there is a TRO from the Supreme Court. To date, there has been no TRO issued by the SC,” he said.
The Comelec en banc earlier annulled Yap-Sulit’s proclamation after she was found ineligible to be elected as mayor of Tarlac City.
In response, Yap-Sulit urged the Comelec to respect the people’s will in electing her as Tarlac City mayor during the May 12 polls.
However, Garcia said such an argument cannot stand, emphasizing that the rule of law must always prevail.
Citing the Supreme Court ruling in the Velasco vs. Comelec case, he noted that the will of the people cannot prevail over the rule of law.
“They can say she already has the people’s mandate. However, it has been ruled that the will of the people cannot prevail over the rule of law,” he said.
“That means you may have been elected, but if you were elected under the belief that you were qualified and it turns out you are not eligible, it means that from the very start, you were not a candidate,” Garcia added. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)