Comelec serves summons for 3 cases filed vs Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has served summons for the three disqualification cases opposing the presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“The Summons for the three cases filed against BBM have already been sent to the e-mail addresses of the EOs (election officers),” Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

“The EOs were directed to print, personally serve the Summons to Respondent BBM, and to submit Affidavits of service,” she added.

https://www.facebook.com/attyrowenaguanzon/posts/452712639762941

The three cases were filed by a group of activists imprisoned during martial law, Akbayan Partylist, and a group claiming to be the real officers of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).

Marcos Jr. filed his certificate of candidacy as the standard bearer of the PFP.

The petitions filed by the organizers of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law and Akbayan asked Comelec to disqualify Marcos Jr. due to his conviction for tax evasion.

Meanwhile, National Commission for Muslim Filipinos Commissioner Abubakar Mangelen, who claims to be the duly-elected chairman of the PFP, lodged a disqualification case, saying the certificate of nomination and acceptance issued to Marcos Jr. is “unauthorized, defective, invalid and void.”

“The summons directed Respondent BBM to file a verified Answer to each Petition within 5 days from receipt, in accordance with the rules,” Guanzon said.

Preliminary conferences of the said cases were slated on January 7, 2022, Guazon said.