The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to include Chito Bulatao Balintay as candidate for governor in Zambales and to include his name in the official ballots for the 2025 elections.

With the ruling, the SC reversed the Comelec’s ruling that disallowed the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) for governor of Zambales by Balintay, a member of indigenous peoples in the province. 

The SC ruled that the Comelec gravely abused its discretion when it did not allow Balintay to file his COC, said the press briefer issued by the SC’s Office of the Spokesperson.

The press briefer stated that “the SC held that the Comelec should reexamine whether its rules serve the interest of justice and fair play.”

“The SC has recognized that elections are not conducted under laboratory conditions -- the Comelec must be prepared to make quick decisions in response to unforeseen circumstances that could undermine or subvert the will of the voters,” it said.

“Given these considerations, along with Balintay’s unique circumstances, the SC found that the Comelec’s strict application of its rules was unjustified, warranting the reversal of its decision,” It added.

The press briefer also stated: 

“Balintay filed his COC on the last day of filing and 25 minutes prior to the closing time. However, his COC was incomplete – missing a required fifth copy and documentary stamps. He was advised to complete his documents, but it was already three minutes past the 5 p.m. deadline by the time he returned.

“Under Section 37 of Comelec Resolution No. 11045, incomplete COCs will neither be accepted nor stamped “received,” even if submitted on time.

“On Jan. 14, 2025, the SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), preventing the Comelec from enforcing its decision rejecting Balintay’s application.

“The SC ruled that the Comelec gravely abused its discretion when it did not allow Balintay to file his COC.”