ESCOLIN
ILOILO CITY – A court has ordered Receliste “Tanoy” Escolin to vacate office as mayor of the municipality of President Roxas in Capiz province for serving a fourth consecutive term.
The Roxas City (Capiz) Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 ordered Escolin to “cease and desist from performing the functions and duties of the Office of the Municipal Mayor" in a decision dated Nov. 10, 2025.
This was the latest ruling against Escolin who was accused of violating the three-term rule limit when he ran and won his fourth consecutive term in the May 2025 elections.
In the decision, Judge Joanne Marie Betita noted that Escolin is “disqualified from holding the position of mayor as he already served three consecutive terms.”
The decision granted the quo warranto petition filed by former municipal councilor and mayoral candidate Bart Locsin.
Last July, the First Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) cancelled Escolin’s Certificate of Candidacy (COC). Escolin filed a motion for reconsideration.
Comelec-6 Regional Director Dennis Ausan said that the Comelec decision and the court order are not final and executory.
“These are pending cases,” Ausan said.
Ausan noted he was unaware of the court order and the Comelec decision was not under the jurisdiction of the poll body’s regional office.