By Rey Panaligan  The Supreme Court (SC) has issued an order that allowed Baguio City mayoralty candidate Edgar Avila to participate in the May 13 elections.   In a resolution, the SC granted Avila’s plea for a status quo ante order (SQAO) that, in effect, lifted, in the meantime, the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which disqualified him as a candidate. The Comelec had earlier ruled that Avila was disqualified after he used the old form in the filing of his certificate of candidacy (COC). The old COC format did not include Item No. 22, a question on whether a candidate has been disciplined or found guilty of, or has pending criminal or administrative cases. Candidates who used the old form have been disqualified by the Comelec. In a resolution, the SC said: “A Status Quo Ante Order is issued, effective immediately and continuing until further orders from this Court, ordering You (Comelec), parties, your agents, representatives, or persons acting in your place or stead to maintain the status quo prevailing before the issuance of Comelec En Banc Minute Resolution No. 19-0286 dated March 6, 2019." The Comelec was ordered to file its comment on Avila’s petition. Status quo ante “is the state of affairs that preceded the onset of a controversy or the condition which immediately obtained before the existing condition, or the last actual peaceable uncontested status that preceded the pending controversy.” In the case of Avila, the “state of affairs that preceded the onset of a controversy” was his filing of his COC before the Comelec issued its disqualification order.