
Comelec junks DQ bid vs. Lino Cayetano, to probe him for alleged misrepresentation
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ordered its law department to conduct a preliminary investigation into former Taguig City mayor Lino Cayetano for alleged material misrepresentation.
This comes after the Comelec First Division dismissed a petition to disqualify Cayetano in the recent midterm polls as 'moot and academic' following his failed bid to become representative of the first district of Taguig.
'Wherefore, the Commission (First Division) resolved, as it hereby resolves, to dismiss the Petition for being moot and academic,' the decision dated June 18 reads.
'Further, the records of this case are referred to the Law Department of the Commission for the conduct of preliminary investigation for possible violation of election laws,' it added.
GMA News Online has reached out to Cayetano for comment.
In October 2024, Allen Noromor filed an opposition questioning the residency of Lino, and his wife, Fille.
In March, the Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 153 directed the Comelec ERB Taguig City to exclude the names of the couple from the list of official voters of a precinct in Barangay Usuan after the couple failed to establish the required residency requirement and their petition for inclusion was filed out of time.
The case stemmed from the ERB's disapproval of the Cayetanos' application to transfer their registration records in October 2024.
Cayetano lost his congressional bid for Eleksyon 2025 to Ading Cruz. He garnered 79,064 votes. — BM, GMA Integrated News
For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


GMA Network
3 hours ago
- GMA Network
Australia turns down hosting Duterte if ICC grants interim release
The Australian government has declined to host former President Rodrigo Duterte should the International Criminal Court (ICC) grant his request for interim release. While it is aware that Duterte applied for interim release to a third unnamed country, Australia is not considering to grant such a request as the matter is best left in the hands of the ICC, GMA News Online learned Friday. In applying for interim release, Duterte's camp previously told the chamber that an undisclosed country has agreed to take in the former president, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity over his administration's war on drugs. Earlier this week, Vice President Sara Duterte said the former president, her father, is looking at Australia as one of the countries for his possible interim release. Australia is a party to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court. Duterte is currently under ICC custody in The Hague, Netherlands. Meanwhile, the Office of the Prosecutor has asked the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to deny Duterte's interim release request. The prosecution also denied that any agreement was reached with the defense regarding Duterte's release to the country proposed by the Duterte camp. Further, the prosecution said it agreed under the condition that Duterte would be released to another country. — VDV, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
3 hours ago
- GMA Network
Comelec lifts proclamation suspension of Benguet solon
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division lifted the suspension of the proclamation of Benguet lone district representative-elect Eric Yap following the dismissal of a disqualification petition against his candidacy for Eleksyon 2025. In an eight-page ruling, the poll body junked an October 2024 petition filed by petitioner Franklin Tino, seeking to disqualify Yap from the May 2025 midterm elections on the grounds of material misrepresentation due to questions on his citizenship. Tino alleged that Yap committed material misrepresentation when he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for Benguet representative when he is not a natural-born Filipino citizen. He also accused Yap of falsifying his birth certificate and Philippine passport. Yap, in his verified answer, denied the allegations as 'false, malicious, and unfounded'. 'In this case, the Petitioner has utterly failed to discharge this burden. Not a single piece of documentary, testimonial, or circumstantial evidence has been adduced to support his claims against the Respondent,' the poll body said. 'This glaring omission not only renders the Petition fatally defective, but also betrays a troubling lack of diligence and candor in invoking the processes of this Honorable Commission,' it said. The Comelec Second Division also added that 'courts and tribunals are not venues for fishing expeditions or trial by innuendo. To entertain a petition built on unproven claims is to erode the very foundations of justice. Justice is not served by speculation but by evidence, and in the absence of the latter, the Petition must inevitably fail.' Meanwhile, the Benguet Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC) were also instructed to reconvene and proceed with the proclamation of Yap. Motion for Reconsideration Poll chief George Erwin Garcia, for his part, reiterated that the ruling is not yet final and executory as the petitioner still has five days to question the decision. 'May karapatan ang peititoner na mag-file ng motion for reconsideration. Titingnan natin within the period of five days kung mag-MR. Kaya ang PBOC ng Benguet ay maaari pang hindi mag-convene para iproklama siya kasi hihintayin pa ang certificate of finality and entry of judgment sapagkat kung saka-sakali na ang petitioner ay mag-file ng MR, maaaring mahinto ang pagpapatupad ng decision,' Garcia told reporters. (The petitioner can file for an MR. We'll see if he will do that within five days. The PBOC may still not reconvene to proclaim [Yap] because we will have to wait for the certificate of finality and entry of judgment. If the petitioner files an MR, the decision may be stopped and not be implemented.) — BAP, GMA Integrated News

GMA Network
4 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace hits VP Sara for saying she doesn't favor any country
Malacañang on Friday criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for saying she does not favor any country at all. This developed after Duterte recently shrugged off allegations that her family is pro-China as she also questioned the Marcos administration's foreign policy. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Friday reiterated that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., for his part, is pro-Philippines. Castro stressed that Marcos has promised that "he will not yield even an inch of our territory." "Ang tunay na Pilipino, umaawit ng Lupang Hinirang na may dangal. Sinasambit ang mga katagang, 'Ang mamatay nang dahil sa 'yo.' Sabi nga po ni Dr. Jose Rizal, 'Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda,"' Castro said when asked about Duterte's recent statements. (A true Filipino sings Lupang Hinirang with dignity. They recite the words, 'To die because of you.' Dr. Jose Rizal even said, 'Those who do not learn to love his or her own language are worse than animals or slimy fish.') "Paano pa kaya ang isang Pilipino at isang lider na umaming hindi mahal ang kaniyang sariling bansa, ano kaya ang kanilang amoy? Iyon lang po," she added. (How about a Filipino and a leader who admitted that she doesn't love his or her country. What's the smell of this person? That's all.) GMA News Online asked Duterte's camp for comment on the matter, but it has yet to reply as of posting time. Last Wednesday, the Vice President expressed frustration with the state of the Philippines under Marcos, saying she gets embarrassed as a Filipino thinking that other countries are seeing its debacle. She said, "Matagal na nilang narrative na pro-China ako. I am not pro any country at all. Ang sinasabi ko lagi, we need to develop, we need to maintain, and we need to level up our relations with all countries, hindi lang sa China." (They've been using that 'I am pro-China' narrative for a long time now. I am not pro any country at all. What I always say is that we need to develop, we need to maintain, and we need to level up our relations with all countries, not just China.) Castro had said that Marcos already expected her criticisms on how the government is handling the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as the Dutertes are pro-China. — VDV, GMA Integrated News