The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Saturday, Jan. 18, that it will comply with the temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday, Jan. 17.

The SC issued three more TROs that halted Comelec from disqualifying three candidates in three towns in the May 2025 elections.

These were in favor of:

1. Mary Grace R. David, a candidate for vice mayor of Limay, Bataan. Her petition for substitution and inclusion in the official list of candidates were dismissed by the Comelec.
2. Mary Dominique A. Onate, a candidate for mayor of Palompon, Leyte, and who was declared a nuisance candidate by the Comelec.
3. Aldrin B. Sta. Ana, a candidate for mayor of Bocaue, Bulacan, and whose name was deleted by the Comelec as candidate.

Last Tuesday, the SC issued TROs in favor of:

1. Subair Guinthum Mustapha, a senatorial candidate, who had been declared a nuisance candidate by the Comelec.
2. Charles Savellano, a congressional candidate for the First District of Ilocos Sur and who had been declared a nuisance candidate.
3. Chito Bulatao Balintay, a candidate for governor of Zambales and whose certificate of candidacy was rejected by the Comelec.
4. Edgar R. Erice, a candidate for a congressional seat in Caloocan City’s Second District and who had been disqualified by the Comelec.
5. Florendo de Ramos Ritualo Jr., a candidate for the Sangguniang Panglungsod member in San Juan City’s First District and whose certificate of candidacy (COC) was canceled by the Comelec.

The TROs issued by the SC are immediately executory.

In compliance with the five TROs issued by the High Court early this week, the poll body said in a statement sent by Comelec spokesman Atty. John Rex Laudiangco that it swiftly implemented contingency measures, which include, among others, the immediate cessation of printing of ballots, inventory and disposal of 6 million printed ballots, and change/amendment to the candidates' database.

"With that being said, the COMELEC deems as timely the issuance of the three (3) TROs above mentioned, as the COMELEC is currently in the thick of carrying out the required changes in the Election Management System (EMS), Automated Election System (AES), Consolidated Canvassing System (CCS), and Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS)," he said. 

"Thus, the supplementary changes necessitated by the three (3) recent TROs could be promptly effected just before the conduct of the rescheduled Trusted Build and Reprinting of Official Ballots next week," he added.

Comelec reminded all election stakeholders and the general public that the Trusted Build of the AES will take place on Monday, January 20, at the Chairman's Hall, Ground Floor, Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros, Manila.

On the following day, January 21, Comelec will generate new 1,667 ballot face templates and serialization of the same afterwards, at the Comelec Warehouse, FTA Holding Inc., Laguna Technopark Annex, Biñan, Laguna.

"The Comelec intends to restart ballot production at the soonest possible time to mitigate and recoup lost ballot printing time," Laudiangco said.

The poll body assured the Filipino people that they're fully in control of the situation and that these supervening events which admittedly impacted election preparations and caused delays in ballot production and other Preparatory Election Activities are hurdles that Comelec could completely handle, overcome, and resolve in ways that will not affect the conduct of the National, Local, and BARMM Parliamentary Elections, which shall proceed as constitutionally mandated on May 12, 2025.