Comelec on Marcy Teodoro proclamation: CBOC must first issue notice

Marcy Teodoro talks to the media in a chance interview on May 12, 2025. — File photo by Jason Sigales

MANILA, Philippines — The city board of canvassers (CBOC) of Marikina City will have first to issue a notice before it can proclaim Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro as the winner of the city’s 1st District congressional race, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia.

Garcia made the clarification on Tuesday when asked to comment on Teodoro’s statement that the local Comelec of Marikina refused to proclaim him as the winner of the Marikina City 1st District congressional race despite the Comelec’s issuance of certificate of finality and entry of judgment.

Garcia said that the CBOC of Marikina City is responsible for implementing the proclamation, and not the Comelec itself. Garcia explained that CBOC is an independent body composed of the local election officer, city prosecutor, and the division superintendent.

“The reason why the city board of canvassers can’t proclaim yet, and we don’t want to preempt, because there needs to be a notice,” Garcia told reporters in Filipino during an interview.

Garcia also said that just because the Comelec main office issues entry of judgment and certificate of finality does not mean that the proclamation will happen today.

READ: Comelec decision on Marcy Teodoro case now final, executory

“The CBOC might be exercising its due process by issuing a notice to both parties that they will convene to implement the order of the Comelec en banc,” he added.

Garcia also said that the order to proclaim can be implemented anytime, but noted that the CBOC has its own mandate that the poll body can’t control.

In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Teodoro said that they waited for three hours in the local Comelec office to be proclaimed, but to no avail. He said that the local Comelec told him that a Comelec resolution to convene for his proclamation was necessary.

“We sought clarification with Chairman George and Comelec main and what the Comelec main says is they can’t issue another en banc resolution just ordering them to convene because the resolution is final and executory,” he said.

Teodoro also said that his camp is planning to file administrative charges against the election officer before the poll body.

Garcia then shared to the media the copy of the notice of the meeting, signed by the election officer, showing that the CBOC is requested to convene on July 1, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the certificate of finality and judgment in relation to the Comelec en banc resolution dated June 25, 2025.

Garcia also said that the CBOC may have three days to proclaim Teodoro after the issuance of the notice of convening of the board.

In a two-page order dated July 1, the Comelec released the certificate of finality and entry of judgment on its en banc ruling lifting the order of proclamation suspension on Teodoro and reversing the cancellation of his certificate of candidacy.

READ: Comelec lifts suspension on Marcy Teodoro’s win as Marikina rep

The poll body noted that the Supreme Court did not issue a restraining order within five days of both parties receiving the Comelec resolution, allowing the decision to become final and executory.

Teodoro won the congressional race against outgoing Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, garnering votes to Pimentel’s 29,091. Teodoro’s proclamation, however, was suspended due to pending cases before the poll body.

Pimentel and a certain Leighrich Estanislao, in their consolidated petitions seeking to cancel Teodoro’s certificate of candidacy, claimed that the outgoing Marikina City mayor was not a resident of Barangay San Roque in the 1st District of Marikina as he just transferred from Barangay Tumana in 2nd District prior to the start of filing of COC.

However, the Comelec en banc said that it found that the petitioners failed to prove that Teodoro committed material misrepresentation in his COC. /das