SC won’t stop printing of Laguna ballots

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, April 5, denied the petition of a gubernatorial candidate in Laguna to stop the printing of ballots for the province so his name could be removed from them.

While the SC en banc denied the motion of Jorge Antonio Genaro Ejercito for the temporary restraining order on the Commission on Elections (Comelec), it ordered the poll body to comment on the issue “within a non-extendible period of 10 days.”

Ejercito had withdrawn from the gubernatorial race in Laguna so as not to confuse the supporters of his father, dismissed Governor Emilio “ER” Ejercito. However, the Comelec still included the son’s name in the list of candidates despite his motion with the poll body to remove his name. 

The Comelec had ignored the young Ejercito’s two written requests for the removal of his name from the ballot, prompting him to go to the SC.

The young Ejercito and his father both filed their candidacies for Laguna governor – he as an independent candidate; his father, under the United Nationalist Alliance banner.

Having two Ejercitos listed as candidates for the same position would split the votes of the father’s supporters.

The son is giving way to his father, who is seeking to reclaim his former position. The older Ejercito won the gubernatorial race in 2013, but was retroactively disqualified due to campaign overspending. – Rappler.com