The Supreme Court (SC) has intervened in three separate election-related disputes by issuing temporary restraining orders (TROs) against the Commission on Elections (Comelec). These orders prevent the enforcement of Comelec’s decisions to disqualify or reject the candidacy of three individuals in the upcoming midterm elections. The SC’s actions were announced on Tuesday, marking a significant development in the electoral process.
One of the TROs was issued in favor of Francis Leo Marcos, who was previously allowed to run for senator in the 2022 elections and garnered over 4 million votes. Despite his claims of being related to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which remain unverified, Comelec had ruled against his candidacy for lacking genuine intent to run for office. The SC’s TRO halts this decision, allowing Marcos to continue his candidacy.
In another case, the SC issued a TRO for Noel Rosal, the former governor of Albay. Rosal, who won the governorship in the May 2022 elections, was dismissed from service in June 2024 by the Office of the Ombudsman for grave misconduct and other charges. Despite the Ombudsman’s ruling, which included perpetual disqualification from public office, Rosal filed his candidacy for the May 2025 elections. The SC’s TRO prevents Comelec from disqualifying him based on the Ombudsman’s decision.
The third TRO was granted to Jonas Cortes, a mayoral candidate in Mandaue City, Cebu. Cortes had faced cancellation of his candidacy by Comelec, but the SC’s order now prevents the implementation of this resolution, allowing him to remain in the race.
SC spokesperson Camille Ting reported that the court has received approximately 25 petitions requesting TROs since October 9, 2024. The SC has already acted on 12 of these cases, with more decisions pending. Ting indicated that the court will continue to review and potentially issue more TROs as needed.