Dismissed Mayor Jonas Cortes excluded from Comelec ballot template
Dismissed Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes. | CDN Digital photo / Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Dismissed Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has been excluded from the mayoral race, as reflected in the list of candidates released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
On its website, the Comelec unveiled its ballot template for local government candidates, which notably omits Cortes from the list of mayoral aspirants.
It can be recalled that the Comelec issued a Certificate of Finality last week, officially disqualifying Cortes from participating in the upcoming May elections.
Cortes’ disqualification stems from a petition filed by Ervin Estandarte on October 25, alleging that Cortes failed to disclose his dismissal from service by the Ombudsman on October 3. This omission was deemed a material misrepresentation in his Certificate of Candidacy (COC).
Despite Cortes’ exclusion, a disclaimer on the Comelec website clarifies the provisional nature of the displayed ballot template:
“The ballot face templates are without prejudice to the decision/resolution of the Commission in cases that are still pending for its consideration, which may affect the list of candidates on the official ballots,” the disclaimer reads.
“So, and based sad sa interview ni Comelec Chairman Garcia gahapon sa buntag and the other day, he said nga if ever there are decisions by the Supreme Court on TROs nga pending didto, they will comply. I think mao man gyud na, morespect ang Comelec kun unsa ang decision sa Supreme Court,” said Mandaue City Administrator Atty. Jamaal James Calipayan in an interview with the media on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.
In an effort to reverse his disqualification, Cortes filed a Petition for Certiorari with the Supreme Court on January 2. His camp is seeking an injunction and a status quo ante order against the Comelec decision.
Calipayan expressed hope that the Supreme Court will include their appeal in its session scheduled for January 14.
“We are hopeful that mayor will be included sa ballots once the status qou order will go up. Even if dili makaabot sa printing sa balota, we are also hopeful based sa pronouncement of Comelec, that even if pila nalang days, they will comply if naay mogawas nga TRO or status qou ante order by the Supreme Court,” said Calipayan.
Cortes’ supporters remain steadfast, organizing nightly vigils in their barangays to pray for a favorable resolution to his appeal and the chance for him to resume his mayoral campaign.
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