Tarlac City Mayor Yap disputes Comelec’s DQ order: Respect public’s will

MANILA, Philippines — Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap on Tuesday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to respect the will of the voters as she rejected the allegations that led to her ouster.

Yap issued a statement after the Comelec en banc overturned an earlier decision that had dismissed a disqualification case against her, thereby disqualifying her candidacy in the 2025 local elections and effectively nullifying her proclamation. 

The ruling cited her alleged failure to prove legal residence in Barangay Tibag, Tarlac City, as required by law.

READ: Comelec DQs Tarlac City Mayor Yap-Sulit over residency requirement 

Yap, however, emphasized that the Comelec’s reversal could undermine democratic and constitutional principles. 

“Comelec must respect the public’s will,” she said. 

“If this is not corrected, this will lead to the disenfranchisement of Filipino voters. It’s a crucial blow to a basic, fundamental, and constitutionally guaranteed human right – the right of constituents to choose their leaders,” she added.

Yap—who has already previously served as Tarlac Mayor for nine years—also directly disputed the basis of the ruling, citing documents, IDs, photographs, and affidavits to show that she has been a resident of Tarlac City since 2014.

She likewise pointed out that not a single Comelec official conducted an ocular inspection of their family residence, which the petitioners claimed looked like a warehouse and rather than a residence. 

“Yes, there is a warehouse within our residence, but there is a perfectly functioning living space there as well. It’s open for inspection anytime, I would be very happy to lead a house tour,” Yap said in the same statement.

She then committed to exhaust all legal remedies in response to the Comelec’s ruling, adding that she will remain focused on her duties as mayor of Tarlac City as the legal proceedings continue.

“They may attempt to smear my name, but they cannot take away my devotion to Tarlac City. My promise remains: I will serve wholeheartedly – loyal, true, and with the public first,” she said.

Meanwhile, the League of Municipalities-Tarlac Chapter also expressed their support for Yap.

“[We] firmly believe that the sovereign will of the people, as expressed through the ballot, is the paramount and ultimate expression of democratic choice, and that overturning such a mandate through technicalities undermines the very essence of our democratic processes and disenfranchises the electorate,” the Tarlac chapter said.

They then urged the Comelec to “reconsider its decision and give primacy to the sovereign will of the people of Tarlac City, thereby ensuring their votes are respected, protected, and honored.” /gsg