Comelec: Bets with disqualification cases will be in candidates’ list

MANILA, Philippines — Candidates with pending disqualification cases will still be included in the final list of aspirants for the May 2019 midterm polls to be released on Dec. 15, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

In an interview, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez noted they are planning to release the list of candidates in the local and national polls that will be printed in the official ballots in January 2019.

He added they are expecting the final list by Dec. 15 from the Law Department, which has been “very tight lipped about it and they are not releasing any preliminary results.”

He said the final list of candidates will include those that have pending disqualification cases at the Comelec. 

However, if a final decision comes out and a candidate is declared disqualified, the Comelec will inform the voters about this.

“There will be an information campaign to inform the public that you have been disqualified. And if they still get votes, then those votes will be considered stray,” Jimenez added.

On the other hand, candidates facing motu proprio petitions filed by Comelec to deny their certificates of candidacy (COC) will no longer be included in the list.  

“When you talk about a petition to deny due course or to cancel a COC, the evidence only involves those that can be found in the face of the COC. So that is easier to decide than a petition for disqualification,” he maintained.