By Isabella Magno

Only two of the three disqualification cases that were supposedly consolidated by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will proceed to the final writing of their memoranda, after the petitioner of the third case failed to show at the preliminary conference on Friday, January 7.

According to the order of the Commission dated December 20, the third case that was filed by Abubakar Mangelen — an allegedly former chairman of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, the party that is carrying Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s presidential race — automatically proceeded for resolution, since neither Mangelen nor his counsels attended the preliminary conference. 

The COMELEC consolidated the two cases filed separately by petitioners Bonifacio Ilagan representing other Martial Law survivors and RJ Naguit representing the Akbayan Youth.

The two camps, as well as Marcos’s, are bound to submit their final position papers via email on Sunday, January 9, before the commissioners from the first division level would decide. 

Both petitions went into further detail about the presidential candidate’s 1995 tax conviction and utilized it as a basis to ban him from participating in the 2022 National Elections.

Six pending complaints have also been filed against Marcos’s quest for the presidency in 2022, with the majority of them citing his failure to file income tax reports as the cause for his disqualification.

Furthermore, the conference focused on whether Marcos paid fines and deficiency tax as a result of the conviction.

Marcos’s lawyer, Atty. Hanna Barcena, refuted all of the charges leveled against him as Hon. Commissioner Rowena Guanzon questioned his camp about the allegations.

Aside from Guanzon, the Comelec’s 1st Division is made up of Commissioners Marlon Casquejo and Aimee Ferolino.

Photo Source: The Manila Times