Comelec defers DQ proceedings; hit for ‘arbitrariness’
MANILA, Philippines — The counsels of some of the petitioners seeking to invalidate the presidential bid of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the May 2022 elections on Saturday blasted the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for its alleged arbitrariness in deferring the proceedings.
In a statement, the lawyers, led by Theodore Te, said the election officials moved the submission of the parties’ memoranda indefinitely without any of them requesting for such an action during the preliminary conference on Friday.
They said the Comelec officials initially told them to turn in their memoranda, which will contain their respective arguments and evidence, on Nov. 29.
“Surprisingly, the Comelec division clerk, citing ‘pending incidents,’ deferred the submission of [the] memorandum unilaterally … without any motion from the parties and despite vehement objections by the petitioners,” the lawyers said.
