"Former lawmaker Edgar Erice said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision to disqualify him from running in the 2025 congressional race in Caloocan's Second District is 'flimsy.'

In a Facebook post, Erice said the Comelec Second Division disqualified him 'for two reasons.'

'I exposed the anomalies of the overpriced and illegal [Miru] machines, I questioned it before the Supreme Court (SC), and I filed a graft case against Comelec officials. That is my constitutional right,' Erice pressed.

He also argued that Comelec Chairperson George Garcia 'is very, very close' to his opponent, Caloocan Second District Rep. Mitzi Cajayon-Uy, as Garcia was her lawyer when Erice beat Cajayon twice in local elections in 2013 and 2016.

'The disqualification case is flimsy, and I am confident the SC will not allow this,' Erice said.

The former legislator is barred from the 2025 elections for 'deliberately spreading false and alarming reports' and circulating 'misleading messages to disrupt the electoral process and cause confusion among the voters.'

'All statements made by Respondent contradict verifiable and widely available facts from the Comelec and all sources across platforms,' the ruling stated.

'Glaring is the fact that there was not any modicum of evidence provided by Respondent aside from bare statements made in the media. Hence, the information propagated by Respondent on the general conduct of elections is false,' it further read.

The decision is not yet final, and Erice said he will challenge the ruling.

'I will pursue the cases I filed against the Comelec officials, and we will fight for the country and people,' he added.

In August, Erice filed graft charges against Garcia and seven other Comelec officials over the allegedly anomalous awarding of a P18-billion contract to Miru Systems as the service provider for next year's polls.

He also alleged that a poll official received bribe money from South Korean-based banks through multiple offshore accounts.

Garcia previously denied all allegations made by Erice and requested the National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, and Anti-Money Laundering Council investigate the alleged spread of fake information against him.

On Wednesday, Garcia announced that he will inhibit himself from handling cases involving Erice 'to preserve the principles of fairness and impartiality, ensuring the integrity of the proceedings' under his jurisdiction and to avoid any potential perception of bias or conflict of interest."