(UPDATE) The partylist represented by former PCOO Asec. Mocha Uson will remain in the ballot after the Commission on Elections approved its application to be one of the candidates in the 2022 partylist elections.
Uson, the first nominee of the partylist, said the group would advocate for the rights and welfare of women and mothers in Congress. Beauty queen and sportswoman Michele Gumabao stands as the partylist's second nominee.
"The decision granting the petition for accreditation said simply that the group MOCHA met all of the requirements for a sectoral organization. That was the justification for the ruling," Jimenez told reporters in an online briefing.
The Comelec also removed the Malasakit Movement partylist of former MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago, from the official list of candidates for failure to meet the requirements for a sectoral partylist organization, Jimenez said.
The Comelec said it would release the final list of participating partylist organizations by Jan. 13.
Petitions to reopen COC filing, postpone elections denied
Aside from this, the Comelec en banc also unanimously dismissed the petitions seeking to reopen the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 elections, as well as the one calling for the postponement of the polls.
Jimenez said the grounds provided in the first petition, filed by the PDP-Laban wing led by Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi, were not "meritorious."
The party argued that Comelec should reopen the filing of COCs as it could not proceed with the printing of the ballots pending the resolution of cases involving candidates and partylists.Â
"That is a wrong assertion. This is not the first time that we are going to print with pending disqualification cases. The fact that there are pending disqualification cases has never been a reason for suspending the start of printing ballots," Jimenez said.
The spokesperson added that the petition essentially alleged that the Comelec was arbitrary in choosing the Oct. 8, 2021 deadline for the COC filing, and that there was no reason to set the deadline so early.
"The allegation does not take into consideration all of the other preparatory activities that are being conducted by the Comelec. In fact, the setting of the date of the filing of COCs is not arbitrary in any way, kaya dineny na natin ang kanilang request," he added.
As to the denial of the petition to postpone the elections filed by the National Coalition for Life and Democracy, Jimenez said the resolution, which contains the justifications of the Comelec en banc, is still being processed.
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