MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday ruled to allow former social welfare secretary Erwin Tulfo to become a replacement nominee for the Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Support and Involvement (ACT-CIS) party-list in the House of Representatives.
The ruling by all of the poll body’s commissioners affirmed an earlier decision by its Second Division.
The Comelec said it found “no compelling reason to reverse or to modify” the second division’s verdict.
Tulfo was supposed to replace Jeffrey Soriano as third nominee of the ACT-CIS party-list.
He was fourth on the group’s list of nominees along with first nominee Edvic Yap, second nominee and Tulfo’s sister-in-law Jocelyn Tulfo, third nominee Soriano and fifth nominee Effie Vanessa Ynson.
Soriano resigned as third nominee in late February.
ACT-CIS won three House seats after gathering over 2.1 million votes during the May 2022 elections.
The first three nominees Yap, Jocelyn Tulfo and Soriano were proclaimed on May 26.
Lawyer Moises Tolentino asked the Comelec to disqualify Erwin Tulfo as fourth nominee last March 1, or nine months after the proclamation, pointing out the latter’s conviction for cyber libel and questions on his United States citizenship, both of which were raised during the hearings to confirm him as social welfare secretary.
The poll body said his petition was filed nine months late – protests should be filed “at any day not later than the date of proclamation.”