Comelec: Lino Cayetano’s name in ballot since residency case not final

 

MANILA, Philippines — The inclusion of former Taguig City mayor Lino Cayetano in the list of candidates for  Taguig-Pateros representative is due to the fact that his election  case regarding his residency has no final verdict yet, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Thursday.

The Comelec’s Election Registration Board (ERB) rejected in Oct. 2024 the attempt of Cayetano for residency transfer to an area unde the district where he is running.

Cayetano, however, said a Taguig court order later affirmed his residency in Barangay Ususan, according to a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Cayetano and his wife Fille were registered voters under Barangay Fort Bonifacio but they opted to be transferred to Barangay Ususan for his House bid.

But the ERB then said the two personalities did not provide enough documentation that would prove their residence there.

Likewise, Cayetano further averred that the Comelec “recognized the legitimacy of my candidacy, ensuring that my name is duly included in the official ballot.”

In response, Garcia told reporters on Thursday that “all of those with disqualification cases, as long as there is no final decision, their names would still be included in the ballot.”

This was the case with Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro.

Teodoro’s name remained in the ballot despite Comelec’s move to cancel his bid due to what is deemed to be material misrepresentation regarding his address.

Only when there is a “final and executory” ruling from the Comelec could  Teodoro’s name be removed in the ballots, Garcia previously said.

The Comelec then issued a four-page Certificate of Finality, making the disqualification of  former Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice “final and executory.” 

Erice’s name was removed from the ballot before the printing, but the Supreme Court  issued a temporary restraining order against Comelec’s preventing him from staging  a House of Representatives comeback, compelling the poll body to retain his name on the ballots.