The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) said the poll body can cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of aspirants with pending disqualification cases.

In a resolution sent to DAILY TRIBUNE by COMELEC Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, under either Section 12 or Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code, or under Section 40 of the Local Government Code, the poll body is under a legal duty to cancel the COC of anyone suffering from the accessory penalty of perpetual special disqualification to run for public office.

This after Garcia was asked if Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog will still be eligible to file his COC from 1 to 8 October.

Mabilog’s appeal to reactivate his voting rights remains pending as the Election Registration Board prepares to deliberate on the matter in a hearing set for 12 October.

The former mayor returned to the country on 10 September, after fleeing the Philippines to the United States seven years ago, triggered by threats to his life and the safety of his family.

This after then-president Rodrigo Duterte labeled him a “narco politician,” a claim never proven.

Duterte threatened to add him to the list of high-profile drug suspects killed by authorities.

In 2023, the Office of Ombudsman filed graft charges against Mabilog and councilor Plaridel Nava II before the Sandiganbayan over alleged intervention in the awarding of a government contract to a towing services firm where they have an interest in.

Mabilog posted bail on 11 September bail over the graft charge against him.