Dismissed Cebu mayor’s quest for reelection continues
CEBU CITY—Dismissed Mayor Jonas Cortes of Mandaue City in Cebu province will be on the official list of candidates in the May 12, 2025 elections.
The Supreme Court on Jan. 20, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing resolutions that canceled Cortes’ certificate of candidacy (COC).
The TRO also prohibited the poll body from removing Cortes’ name from the official list of candidates for mayor of Mandaue City.
The high court ordered the Comelec and lawyer Ervin Estandarte, who sought Cortes’ disqualification from the mayoral race, to submit their comments on the petition filed by the beleaguered mayor within a nonextendable 15-day period from the receipt of the notice.
Call for sobriety
Cortes, in a statement, expressed elation over the high court’s ruling, saying the issuance of the TRO was “a testament to (the Supreme Court’s) role as the last bastion of justice and democracy.”
“I urge everyone to approach this moment with sobriety and unity, allowing due process to take its course. Let us not allow this moment to divide us but rather inspire us to work together for the betterment of Mandaue City,” he added.
Last December, Cortes’ legal team contested before the Supreme Court the Comelec ruling dated Dec. 18, 2024 that canceled his COC due to alleged “material misrepresentation” when he wrote “N/A” (not applicable) to the question if he had pending cases, its docket numbers and the status of any legal action against him despite receiving a dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman on Oct. 3, 2024, one day before he filed his COC.
The Comelec said the deliberate intent to mislead and the falsity of Cortes’ declarations warranted the cancellation of his COC, citing Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code, which requires candidates to accurately state their eligibility for the office they are seeking; and Section 78 of the same law, which allows the cancellation of a COC if any material representation is proven.
But Cortes argued that the Comelec disqualification was based on a decision by the Office of the Ombudsman that was not yet final when he filed his COC, making the cancellation of his candidacy unjustified.
The Ombudsman earlier found Cortes liable for grave misconduct, which carries a penalty of perpetual disqualification from public service, when he allowed a cement batching plant to operate without necessary business and environmental permits.
