There is no decision yet on the motion of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. seeking another week to answer the petitions against his certificate of candidacy (COC), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday.
“I got word from a commissioner, a direct word from the commissioner, that this (motion) has not yet been resolved,” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez at a press briefing.
Jimenez made the clarification after Marcos’ chief of staff, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, told CNN Philippines that they have been given a weeklong extension to answer the three petitions against Marcos’ candidacy.
“Comelec granted us an extension to reply to the petition. We were given seven days from yesterday,” Rodriguez had said.
GMA News Online sought comment from Rodriguez regarding the issue but he has not yet replied as of posting time.
Jimenez said five petitions – three for cancellation of COC, one for declaration as nuisance candidate, and one for disqualification – have been filed against Marcos.
Those seeking his disqualification and cancellation of his COC are largely based on material misrepresentation, since he declared that he has not been convicted of an offense carrying a penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.
The petitioners — among them human rights advocates and Martial Law survivors — said Marcos lied in his COC since he has been convicted with four counts of violating the Tax Code by the Court of Appeals due to his failure to file income tax returns from 1982 to 1985 when he was a public official of Ilocos Norte.
Under the Tax Code, such offense made by a public official provides a penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.
“There is a pending motion that should have been resolved first. We’ll see what happens. Right now waiting tayong lahat,” Jimenez said.
The Comelec is set to discuss the merits of the petitions on November 26. —KBK, GMA News
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