Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 1) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has junked a motion for reconsideration to reverse the dismissal of the disqualification case against Sen. Raffy Tulfo in the May 2022 national elections.
In a statement on Wednesday, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the Commission en banc found “no valid reason” to reverse the order of the poll body’s first division, which dismissed the petition seeking to disqualify Tulfo, who ranked third in the Senate race.
Julieta Licup Pearson, who claimed to be the legal wife of Tulfo, filed the petition dated March 4, 2022.
According to the resolution, which was promulgated on Feb. 28, the petition “neither argues that the evidence on record is insufficient to justify the Assailed Order nor that the ruling arrived upon by the Commission (First Division) is contrary to law.”
“Further, the Commission en banc pointed out that it no longer has jurisdiction over a disqualification case against Tulfo, who is not a sitting member of the Senate after having already been proclaimed as Senator on 18 May 2022 and taken his oath of office on 22 June 2022, pursuant to Article VI, Section 17 of the Constitution,” the statement read.
The poll body noted that jurisprudence has established that the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) assumes “exclusive jurisdiction” over all election contests relating to members of the Senate.
Pearson previously lodged a bid to cancel Tulfo’s certificate of candidacy due to misrepresentation as the then-senatorial candidate named Jocelyn Tulfo as his wife.
The second division of the Comelec dismissed it because whoever the spouse of a candidate is not material to whether they can run for office.
