Comelec body affirms ruling to cancel COC of CamSur gubernatorial bet

Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has affirmed the ruling of the Comelec First Division to cancel and deny due course the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Camarines Sur gubernatorial candidate Ronald Alarkon Rodriguez.

The Comelec en banc dismissed the motion for reconsideration filed by Rodriguez last May 5. The Comelec First Division granted last April 30 the petition to cancel and deny due course the candidacy of Rodriguez due to false material representation regarding his residency.

READ: Comelec cancels COC of CamSur gubernatorial bet over residency issue

“The Certificate of Candidacy of Respondent Ronald Alarkon Rodriguez for the position of Governor of Camarines Sur in relation to the 12 May 2025 National and Local Elections is, thus, CANCELLED AND DENIED DUE COURSE for material misrepresentation under Section 74 in relation to Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code [OEC],” the eight-page decision resolution.

The resolution was promulgated on Thursday and was released to the media on Friday.

The Comelec First Division previously found that Rodriguez falsely declared himself as a resident of Barangay Palestina in Pili, Camarines Sur, contrary to evidence that he continued to reside in Naga City.

In his motion for reconsideration, the resolution said that Rodriguez reused the arguments and evidence in his answer to the petition filed against him. The respondent argued that the Comelec First Division “clearly erred when it shifted the burden of proof to the Respondent, rather than the Petitioner.”

But the Comelec en banc said that “[b]eing an administrative proceeding, a petition to deny due course to and/or cancel a COC under Section 78 of the OEC requires only substantial evidence, or that amount of relevant evidence which a reasonable mind may accept as adequate to justify a conclusion.”

The en banc added that it found no reason to disturb the findings of the first division as it “acted well within its authority and reached a conclusion based on the entirety of the record and evidence” despite the respondent’s claim that his evidence was not given due weight.

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The en banc also pointed out the results of the gubernatorial race in Camarines Sur, in which Rodriguez lost. He obtained a total of 433,855 votes while his rival LRay Villafuerte got 526,887 votes.

“Any doubt as to Respondent’s residence has been decisively determined [by] the people of Camarines Sur in the ballots. This Commission, guided by prevailing jurisprudence, defers to the will of the majority,” it said in the resolution. /jpv