SC ruling on Marcos candidacy 'testament' to Comelec's commitment to rule of law - official

The Supreme Court's decision to junk the petitions against the candidacy of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was an affirmation of the Commission on Elections' commitment to its mandate and to the rule of law, a poll body official said Wednesday.

"If this is indeed an affirmation by the highest court of the decision of the Comelec, then it is a testament to the commitment of this Commission to the rule of law and it’s faithfulness to our constitutional mandate, moreso, its fidelity in safeguarding the will of the peo ple in all electoral exercises. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," acting Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said in a message to reporters.

On Tuesday, the SC announced that the justices dismissed the petitions seeking to disqualify and cancel the certificate of candidacy of Marcos.

Laudiangco said they have yet to receive a copy of the decision, which came two days before Marcos' inauguration as the country's 17th president. 

A group of petitioners who wanted Marcos out of the 2022 presidential race because of his failure to file income tax returns from 1982 to 1985 — which they said amounted to moral turpitude and a ground for disqualification — trooped to the SC in May after the Comelec junked their petitions.

Another set of petitioners composed of Martial Law survivors filed a petition urging the SC to declare that Marcos is perpetually disqualified from public office and cannot run for even the lowest elective position.

Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., eventually won the May 9 elections with over 31 million votes.

A disqualification case brought by Pudno nga Ilocano is still pending before the Comelec en banc. —VBL, GMA News