Comelec cancels Batangas mayor’s COC

MANILA, Philippines – A mayor of Batangas who is seeking reelection has been disqualified.

In a 13-page decision issued on Monday, the second division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) cancelled the certificate of candidacy of Mataasnakahoy Mayor Jay Manalo Ilagan for “misrepresentation” when he filed his COC.

“Considering that the respondent was a fugitive from justice, he possessed a disqualification expressly stated under the law. This renders his misrepresentation in his COC that he is eligible for the office of mayor of Mataasnakahoy, Batangas undoubtedly false,” stated the decision of the second division of the Comelec signed by Commissioners Al Parreno, Arthur Lim and Sheriff Abas.

Ilagan, who is running for reelection under the Liberal Party, has been charged with rape and human trafficking. A 19-year-old woman accused Ilagan of raping her in a pension house in Ormoc City on Nov. 5, 2013.

Henry Laqui filed the petition to disqualify Ilagan for claiming that he can fulfill his duties even though he went into hiding when a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2014.

Ilagan surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation in January and had since been detained in Ormoc.