SC upholds Comelec’s disqualification of Pamatong, David

Rizalito David and Elly Pamatong. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

The Supreme Court on Wednesday has upheld the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualifying presidential aspirants Elly Pamatong and Rizalito David.

Both David and Pamatong were declared nuisance candidates by the poll body.

READ: Comelec declares Rizalito David nuisance candidate

The two took their case to the Supreme Court.

In his petition, David said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion when it declared him a nuisance candidate for the 2016 polls.

READ: Rizalito David dismayed with Comelec declaring him as ‘nuisance’ candidate

David said he was deprived of due process when the Comelec said he could not afford to mount a national campaign being an independent candidate and a broadcaster.

David added that Comelec declared him an independent candidate after his supposed party, Ang Kapatiran sent a “personal letter” to Comelec saying it would not be fielding a presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, Pamatong’s camp in a statement said: “for the third time, the Comelec has sabotaged the COC (certificate of candidacy) of Elly Pamatong by invoking a repealed provision of the SOCE (statement of contributions and expenses) law, which is no longer an election offense, against him.”

The high court, in a ruling released Wednesday, said there was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of Comelec.

“The Court, uniformly, in Minute Resolutions, dismissed the petitions on the ground that the Comelec did not act with grave abuse of discretion,” the high court said. RAM