MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to include Chito Bulatao Balintay’s name in the official ballot for Zambales Governor.
“The SC directed the Comelec to accept Balintay’s certificate of candidacy (COC) and include his name in the official ballot for the 2025 elections,” the High Court stated in its ruling, granting Balintay’s petition.
According to the SC, Balintay filed his COC on the last day of filing, 25 minutes before the deadline. However, it was deemed incomplete as it lacked a required fifth copy and documentary stamps.
He was advised to complete the missing documents, but by the time he returned, it was already three minutes past the 5:00 p.m. deadline.
The SC ruled that Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion by rejecting Balintay’s COC.
It further emphasized that “Comelec should reexamine whether its rules serve the interest of justice and fair play.”
“The SC found that Comelec’s strict application of its rules was unjustified, warranting the reversal of its decision.”
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