Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila.
MANILA, Philippines — As many as 1,024 cases of election overspending from the 2010 and 2013 national and local elections were rejected by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
On Wednesday, the Comelec issued a ruling dismissing 437 accusations of overspending in the 2010 national and local elections but leaving 489 complaints related to the 2013 national and local elections pending preliminary examination and resolution.
“Pursuant to the principle of stare decisis, this Department respectfully submits that the following four hundred thirty-seven (437) overspending cases involving the 2010 NLE, and four hundred eighty-nine (489) overspending cases involving the 2013 NE which are still pending preliminary investigation and resolution be dismissed adopting the pronouncements of the Supreme Court in Peñas v. COMELEC,” the Comelec said through the resolution.
In addition, the Comelec threw out 47 overspending cases from the 2013 national and local elections that still had pending applications for reconsideration and 51 overspending cases from the 2010 national and local elections that had already been resolved.
The Supreme Court (SC) ruling in the case Joseph Roble Peas v. Commission on Election led to the dismissals.
The High Court ruled that the Comelec had taken an excessive amount of time to decide on an electoral dispute that had been left unresolved. As a result, the Supreme Court threw out the formal electoral challenge.
In response to this ruling, Comelec Law Department Director Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal recommended that similar complaints regarding the 2010 and 2013 National and Local Elections be dropped.
“It bears emphasis that the factual milieu of the Decision is akin to several cases pending preliminary investigation in the Law Department; that is, involving 2010 and 2013 NLE (national and local elections) for overspending,” the Comelec said.
“Notably, these cases were initiated by complaints filed as early as 2014, and still pending resolution up to date. In addition, Motions filed seeking reconsideration of the en banc’s decision relative to these cases are likewise pending resolution,” the poll body added.
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