Comelec junks refiled DQ case vs Erwin Tulfo
Senator-elect Erwin Tulfo — Photo from an INQUIRER.net live video
MANILA, Philippines — The Second Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed the disqualification case refiled against Senator-elect Erwin Tulfo.
The first disqualification case filed by petitioners was dismissed due to failure of providing proof of service of the petition with complete annexes to the respondent.
The order on the original petition was released last March 11 while the refiled petition was submitted last March 27 by disbarred lawyer Berteni Cataluña Causing and Graft-free Philippine Foundation, represented by Diosdado Villar Calonge.
In the 25-page resolution, the Comelec’s Second Division emphasized that the petitioners improperly combined into a single petition the separate grounds for his disqualification and cancellation of his certificate of candidacy.
READ: Comelec junks 2nd disqualification case against Erwin Tulfo
According to the resolution, promulgated on Thursday and released to the media on Friday, the petitioners filed last March 31 a manifestation and motion to adopt the integral parts of the refiled petition, including the certified copies of annexes of the original petition for disqualification.
The petitioners then sought to disqualify Tulfo from the 2025 midterm elections due to the latter’s citizenship, alleged violations of the equal access clause and political dynasty prohibition, and academic qualifications.
The Comelec Second Division said that the issues raised by the petitioners “do not fall within the exclusive grounds for his disqualification as a candidate for senator under Sections 12 and 68 of the OEC [Omnibus Election Code].”
The Second Division noted that the petition for disqualification is “not the proper remedy to address these matters” and “should instead be raised through a petition to deny due course or to cancel the certificate of candidacy pursuant to Section 78 in relation to Section 74 of the OEC.”
READ: Erwin Tulfo: I will resign if anti-political dynasty bill gets passed
Tulfo won in the senatorial race with a total of 17,118,881 votes. /das
