SC: Retain Jonas Cortes in list of candidates

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has prevented the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from deleting the name of dismissed Mandaue City mayor Jonas Cortes, who is running for reelection, in official ballots.

In a two-paragraph briefer released yesterday, the high court said it issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the poll body.  

Aside from the TRO, the court ordered the Comelec and Ervin Estandarte to comment on Cortes’ petition within a non-extendable period of 15 days from receipt of notice. 

Cortes filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for mayor last Oct. 4. 

According to reports, Estandarte filed a petition on Oct. 25, seeking Cortes’ disqualification for misrepresentation.

Cortes allegedly failed to disclose his dismissal from service by the Office of the Ombudsman on Oct. 3. 

This is the ninth TRO the SC issued on petitions filed by candidates whose names were removed from the ballots after being disqualified by the Comelec from running in the midterm elections in May. 

The first eight candidates who earlier secured TROs from the SC were senatorial aspirant Subair Guinthum Mustapha; Caloocan City representative Edgar Erice; Charles Savellano, who is running as representative of Ilocos Sur’s first district; Chito Bulatao Balintay, running for Zambales governor, and Florendo de Ramos Ritualo Jr. who is vying for a seat in the San Juan City council.

The SC also recently issued TROs favoring candidates Marie Grace David, who is running for vice mayor in Limay, Bataan; Mary Dominique Oñate who is running for mayor of Palompon, Leyte, and Aldrin Sta. Ana. who is running for mayor of Bocaue, Bulacan.

After the first batch of TROs was issued, the Comelec suspended the printing of official ballots for the polls, to include the name of Mustapha, and announced that about six million ballots would have to be destroyed through shredding.