Comelec dismisses Oñate case

TACLOBAN CITY — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed a petition seeking to cancel the certificate of candidacy of former Palompon, Leyte Mayor Ramon Oñate, nine months after the May 2025 elections.

In an en banc resolution dated 10 February, the Comelec ruled that petitioner lawyer Lloyd Surigao failed to meet the basic filing requirements, including submitting the petition to the wrong office and not providing proof of payment for the required fees. Oñate received a copy of the decision on 28 February.

Surigao claimed that Oñate and four reelection-seeking Sangguniang Bayan members misrepresented information in their certificates of candidacy by marking “N/A” for questions about pending cases or legal actions. He argued this misled the public and undermined the integrity of the election.

The Comelec noted that the petition had to be filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission, not the Office of the Chairman, and that proof of payment for the P10,000 filing fee and P1,000 legal research fee was missing — both mandatory requirements.