Comelec

Comelec commits: Final ruling on anti-Marcos cases out by end-April

Dwight de Leon

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Comelec commits: Final ruling on anti-Marcos cases out by end-April

CAMPAIGN. UniTeam's Ferdinand Marcos Jr woos voters in Quezon Province on March 23, 2022.

Allan Peter Sinco/PonD News Asia

The Comelec has been cautious about giving a definite timeline on the resolution of the cases against Ferdinand Marcos Jr., although the new chairman has been more committal about expediting the rulings

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) promised on Thursday, March 24, that the en banc, its decision-making body, will come out with a ruling on the cases seeking to block the presidential bid of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before the end of April. 

The Comelec has been cautious about giving a definite timeline on the resolution of the controversial petitions, but unlike the previous leadership, new elections chief Saidamen Pangarungan has been more committal about expediting the rulings on the cases.

“The Chairman is committing that number one, before the end of April, a decision by the en banc will be forthcoming. A decision on these cases… will be decided before the elections,” Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said during his weekly press conference on Thursday, March 24. “The earliest will be the second week of April, the latest will be the third week of April.” 

The following petitions – most of which cited Marcos Jr.’s tax conviction in the 1990s – remain unresolved with the Comelec, either at the en banc or division level, as of writing:

  • Lihaylihay vs Marcos (petition to declare nuisance) – junked by the Comelec Second Division, subject of en banc review
  • Buenafe et al vs Marcos (petition to cancel certificate of candidacy) – junked by the Second Division, subject of en banc review
  • Ilagan et al vs Marcos, Akbayan et al vs Marcos, Mangelen vs Marcos (consolidated disqualification petition) – junked by the First Division, subject of en banc review
  • Salandanan vs Marcos (disqualification petition) – pending with the Second Division

Without a Comelec en banc decision, appeals cannot be made to the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on the matter with finality.

It has been 163 days since the Comelec received its first anti-Marcos petition. In comparison, back in 2015, the poll body was able to clear its desks of cases seeking to block the 2016 presidential bid of Grace Poe after only 68 days.

One reporter asked: isn’t a mid- to end-April target release date for a final Comelec ruling a bit late, given that the losing party is expected to run to the High Court?

“If the Supreme Court wants to decide the cases immediately because it is an urgent concern of national importance, they will decide immediately,” Garcia added, although he noted that the High Court usually gives parties an opportunity to comment on the case as part of due process.

Comelec commits: Final ruling on anti-Marcos cases out by end-April

The challenges to Marcos Jr.’s candidacy have opened the floodgates to multiple scenario-building, specifically as to what will happen should he be disqualified before or after the polls.

If he is disqualified before election day, Marcos Jr. can be substituted by someone with the same surname.

If Marcos Jr. wins the presidency but is only disqualified after the polls, the Comelec has said the the likely scenario is that the person who wins the vice presidency in May will succeed him. – Rappler.com

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Dwight de Leon

Dwight de Leon is a multimedia reporter who covers President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Malacañang, and the Commission on Elections for Rappler.