Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal on Sunday called for the names of disqualified candidates by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), whose appeals and petitions for a temporary restraining order (TRO) are still pending with the Supreme Court (SC), to remain on the official ballots.

He warned that removing these names prematurely could lead to the destruction of millions of already printed ballots and the costly reprinting of new ones.

Macalintal explained, “After all, once a candidate who is nominated by a political party is disqualified for any cause, [they] could still be substituted by another party member with the same surname.”

He cited Section 60 of Comelec Resolution No. 11045, issued on 28 August 2024, which allows substitution by another party member with the same surname until mid-day of election day.

The election lawyer argued that deleting the names of disqualified candidates from the ballots would violate the right of political parties to substitute their candidates and render the substitution process meaningless.

By including these names, Macalintal said, the printing of official ballots can proceed without delays or additional costs to the Comelec, even if the SC issues TROs in other pending appeals.