Comelec says it will resolve appeals vs. junking of Marcos DQ cases before May 9

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said that it will resolve the appeals against the junking of the disqualification cases against presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. before the May 9 polls.

At a press briefing, Comelec Commissioner George Garcia reiterated the poll body's commitment that the decision will be released soon, adding that "hopefully" the remaining Comelec officials will sign the resolution.

Comelec chairperson Saidamen Pangarungan earlier said five commissioners have already signed the resolution with two yet to affix their signature, including him.

“Diba noong Thursday ang sabi ni Chairman, dalawa na lang daw sila na hindi nakapirma? So siguro simula n'on, I do not want to speculate, pero sa kanya naman nanggaling yung sinabi niya na dalawa na lang silang hindi nakapirma kasama siya,” Garcia noted.

(Last Thursday, the chairman said there are only two of them who haven't signed so maybe, I don't want to speculate, but what he said came from him so that there are only two of them who haven't signed including him.)

“So hopefully baka nakapirma na yung isa, baka yung isa na lang ang hindi nakakapirma doon sa resolution,” he said.

(So hopefully maybe the other one has already signed, maybe the other remaining has not yet signed the resolution.)

“At saka bago naman mag-eleksyon ang commitment the decision will be released before the election,” the poll commissioner furthered.

(And the commitment is to release the decision before the election.)

Pangarungan earlier said only three cases will be resolved since the fourth case has reached the en banc just recently.

These petitions were filed separately by the leaders of Akbayan party-list, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), and the Pudno Nga Ilokano (Ang Totoong Ilokano), asking the Comelec en banc to reconsider the division's decision to junk the disqualification case against Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The Comelec First Division on April 20 junked the final disqualification case against Marcos for "lack of merit."

Garcia said in case of an unfavorable decision, the petitioners could always run to the Supreme Court for appeal. — BM, GMA News