Comelec junks over 1,000 poll overspending cases

MANILA, Philippines — More than 1,000 overspending cases in previous elections have been dismissed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as part of its efforts “to unclog the dockets of the commission” before the May 2025 elections.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia recently told reporters that 1,024 overspending cases involving candidates in national and local elections in 2010 and 2013 were dismissed upon the recommendation of the poll body’s law department.

“There will still be several cases because we want to unclog the dockets of the commission. We want to clean up everything before the 2025 election,” Garcia said partly in Filipino when asked if there are still pending cases before them aside from cases involving prominent individuals that were recently released.

The Comelec recently disqualified former Albay governor Noel Rosal for allegedly violating the public spending ban in the May 2022 national and local elections while the poll body’s Second Division disqualified Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba for a similar violation.

“These are just the highlighted cases whose decisions have been released by the Comelec because the positions are high-ranking, but we have also released case decisions on mayors disqualified by the Comelec on the division level and some, en banc,” Garcia said.

“Not because that’s what we want to do, but because the evidence and the law dictate that it should be the decision of the Comelec. You can count on us: when we decide (on a) case, it’s based on facts and the law as applicable,” he added.

A 59-page minutes of the executive session on Sept. 28 last year that was released only yesterday stated that the Comelec affirmed its law department’s recommendation to dismiss 437 and 489 overspending cases that are still pending preliminary investigation and resolution in the 2010 and 2013 general elections, respectively.

The Comelec said it also dismissed 51 and 47 overspending cases that still have pending motions for reconsideration involving 2010 and 2013 general elections, respectively.

A complete list is available on the Comelec’s official website.

Garcia said interested parties affected by their decision may seek an appeal before the Supreme Court.

He accepted and admitted that certain cases were left unresolved as he committed that they would now expeditiously resolve cases.