Comelec affirms disqualification of Cagayan governor Mamba in 2022 polls

With just one month remaining before the terms of current local leaders expire, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has affirmed that Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba was disqualified from running in the 2022 elections and allowed Vice Governor Melvin Vargas Jr. to take his place.

The poll body, sitting en banc, stood by the decision of its First Division in April 2024 to disqualify Mamba after he, along with Mabel Mamba and Francisco Mamba, who were candidates for governor, vice governor, and 3rd district representative of Cagayan province, respectively, provided financial aid, scholarship grants, and various transport vehicles to the constituents of Cagayan province using public funds during the 45-day spending ban. 

The First Division dismissed the petition filed by Victorio Casuay against Mabel Mamba and Francisco Mamba for being moot, as they failed to win their election bids.

However, it granted the disqualification case against Mamba after he was found in violation of Section 261 (v) of the Omnibus Election Code and Comelec Resolution No. 10747, which prohibits the release, disbursement, or expenditure of public funds for any and all kinds of public works from March 25 to May 8, 2022. 

Acting on Mamba's appeal, the Comelec en banc said Mamba's duty as governor ''does not grant him unrestrained discretion in the exercise of his powers.''

''Public officials, regardless of their position, are bound to act within the confines of the law and are subject to the limitations and restrictions imposed by applicable statutes and regulations. The mere desire to fulfill one's duties does not justify actions taken in violation of legal mandates," the resolution said.

Mamba will become vice governor on June 30, the day his term as governor ends, following his victory in the May 2025 midterm elections. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News