Comelec Finalizes Disqualification of Edgar Erice from 2025 Elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has officially sealed the disqualification of former Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice from participating in the upcoming May 2025 elections. The decision was confirmed as final and executory in a four-page Certificate of Finality released on Friday, following a ruling made on December 27, 2024. The Comelec en banc stated that the resolution is now enforceable under the Comelec Rules of Procedure and Comelec Resolution No. 11046, as no temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued by the Supreme Court to halt the ruling’s implementation. On the same day the certificate was issued, Erice sought a TRO from the Supreme Court to challenge the en banc’s decision. Comelec chair George Garcia expressed readiness to comply with any Supreme Court decision, noting that if a TRO were issued after ballot printing had begun, they would find a way to adhere to the order. However, without a TRO, the Comelec will proceed to exclude all finally disqualified candidates, including Erice, from the official ballots. The disqualification stems from Erice’s statements that questioned the credibility of Miru Systems, the South Korean company providing the automated election system for the upcoming elections.