SC stops Comelec from canceling ex-Mandaue City mayor’s COC

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday said it issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from cancelling the certificate of candidacy (COC) of former Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.

In a press briefer, the High Court said the TRO prevents Comelec from implementing its resolutions that cancelled Cortes’ COC for mayor of Mandaue City in the 2025 national and local elections.  

It also stops the poll body from deleting Cortes’ name from the list of candidates for mayor of Mandaue.

The SC directed Comelec and lawyer Ervin Estandarte to comment on the petition within a non-extendible period of 15 days from receipt of the notice.

When sought for comment, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the poll body would comply.

“No printing yet of the ballots,” Garcia told GMA News Online.

GMA News Online is trying to get the side of Estandarte.

In a statement posted on social media, Cortes said, "The Supreme Court's issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order is a testament to its role as the last bastion of justice and democracy."

"I urge everyone to approach this moment with sobriety and unity, allowing due process to take its course. Let us not allow this moment to divide us, but rather, inspire us to work together for the betterment of Mandaue City," he added.

Comelec cancelled the COC of Cortes for material and false representation in December 2024.

This came after Estandarte filed a petition that Cortes allegedly committed serious misrepresentation when he declared that he was “eligible for the office” he was aspiring.— LDF/BAP, GMA Integrated News