Supreme Court Halts Comelec Decisions in Five Election Disputes

In a significant move, the Supreme Court issued temporary restraining orders (TROs) on Tuesday, effectively blocking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing decisions that would disqualify or reject the candidacy applications of five individuals in the forthcoming national and local elections. This action was taken during the court’s initial en banc session of the year. The TROs specifically prevent Comelec from labeling Subair Guinthum Mustapha and Charles Savellano as nuisance candidates in their respective races for the Senate and the Ilocos Sur 1st District representative position. The court has mandated Comelec to respond to the petitions filed by Mustapha and Savellano within five days, without the possibility of extension, and to ensure that the resolution and comments are personally served and filed. Additionally, the Supreme Court issued a TRO in favor of Chito Bulatao Balintay, an indigenous peoples’ member from Zambales, whose application to run for governor was initially rejected by Comelec. This ruling compels Comelec to process and validate Balintay’s certificate of candidacy. In other decisions, the court also granted TROs to Edgar Erice, barred from running for Caloocan City’s 2nd District representative, and Florendo de Ramos Ritualo Jr., whose candidacy for a position in San Juan City’s 1st District City Council was canceled. The Supreme Court has instructed Comelec to submit comments on the cases involving Balintay, Erice, and Ritualo within ten days, with no extensions allowed.