Supreme Court stops Comelec’s disqualification order vs 5 local bets

Facade of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. | PHOTO: Official website of the Supreme Court / sc.judiciary.gov.p

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has temporarily stopped the implementation of the disqualification order imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against five local candidates.

In separate orders, the SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the disqualification of former Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice who is running as representative of Caloocan City’s 2nd district.

READ: SC stops disqualification of Caloocan’s Erice from 2025 polls

Aside from Erice, other candidates who managed to secure a TRO against their disqualification were Subair Guinthum Mustapha,  Charles Savellano, Chito Bulatao Balintay, Florendo de Ramos Ritualo, Jr.

Mustapha, a senatorial aspirant, and Savellano, who is running as representative of Ilocos Sur’s 1st District, were declared nuisance candidates.

On the other hand, Balintay, a member of the indigenous people of Zambales, filed a petition challenging Comelec’s resolution rejecting his application to run for Zambales governor. Like Balintay, Ritualo Jr. is also challenging the Comelec’s resolution, canceling his certificate of candidacy to run as a member of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of San Juan City’s first district.

The SC gave the Comelec 10 non-extendible days to comment on Erice’s petition, while the poll body has five days from receipt of notice to comment on the petitions of Mustapha, Savellano, Balintay, and Ritualo.

SC spokesman Camille Sue Mae Ting said the TRO issued by the Comelec in favor of Erice and several other disqualified candidates would mean their names should be reinstated in the ballots.

“So the TROs prohibit Comelec from disqualifying them, so this means their names would have to be included in the ballot. So, it’s up to Comelec how they will implement this but they will just have to follow the order of the Supreme Court,” Ting said.