MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections has sent summons to presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on the petition filed to cancel his Certificate of Candidacy.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said Friday that the summons was issued on November 11, and is expected to be served today.
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“We are awaiting proof of service. Upon receipt of the summons, the respondent will have five days to file an answer,” he added.
A copy of the summons sent to Marcos has yet to be made public as of this story’s posting.
Philstar.com has reached out to Marcos’ spokesperson for their confirmation but has yet to receive a reply.
The petition, filed by six civic group leaders, accused Marcos of making false representation on his COC, specifically when he ticked the “no” box on the question of whether he was found liable for any offense which carries the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification to hold public office.
Jimenez earlier said that following the service of summons, parties will then be called for a pre-conference trial and they will be given the opportunity to ventilate their respective positions.
They will be given three days to submit memoranda, after which the case is deemed submitted for resolution.
There is no fixed timetable for the release of the resolution, but Jimenez said it is unlikely that this will reach until elections. He said: “In theory, it can take as long as it takes; in practice, it usually gets results fairly quickly.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.