Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia (File photo)
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said disqualification cases filed against Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) may still be appealed.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said disqualified candidates may still contest these decisions which have only been released in the division level.
As of Monday, the poll body has so far disqualified 87 bets from last October’s polls.
"If they don't file (an appeal), our decision will become final and executory," he said in a radio interview.
Based on the data from the poll body, majority of the bets numbering to 52 were disqualified due to premature campaigning followed by disqualification cases with 21.
Five candidates were disqualified after their certificates of candidacy were "denied due course and/or canceled" while another five candidates were disqualified after they were tagged as nuisance candidates.
Three candidates were disqualified due to vote buying and one bet was disqualified due to both premature campaigning and vote buying.
Garcia said there are still over 300 disqualification cases against BSKE bets that are pending before the Comelec First and Second Divisions.
He said they are looking to resolve all pending cases until early 2024.
"It is expected that the number of disqualified candidates may increase before the year ends. Just give us a few more weeks after the New Year and we can release all these rulings," he added. (PNA)
