Vice President Sara Duterte may still run for president in 2028 if she is not proven guilty by the impeachment court, said Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Erwin Garcia.
According to a Tuesday report by RH 15 Jecelle Ricafort, any individual may file for candidacy until convicted of charges that can no longer be appealed, Garcia said.
“Kahit sino po ang tumatakbo, kahit anong posisyon—mula presidente hanggang kahuli-hulihang barangay kagawad—hangga’t walang pinal na judgement at conviction sa isang kasong kriminal ay nakakatakbo. ‘Yun ngang tinanggal bilang isang kongresista, ay pu-puwedeng tumakbo dahil hindi naman siya criminal case,” he told reporters.
“‘Yung criminal, kahit na kayo ay na-convict ng mababang korte, hangga’t naapela ang kaso at hindi ito nagiging pinal, ay puwede pong tumakbo ang naturang kandidato,” he emphasized.
Garcia emphasized that the poll body’s duty of receiving all Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) is a ministerial one, though he clarified that it cannot prevent individuals from filing disqualification cases to contest her candidacy.
He added that the commission will not immediately decide whether a candidate is disqualified or not. It will first wait for an independent entity to file a case, or the COMELEC itself may issue a motu proprio (voluntary) disqualification case against a candidate.
“Of course, hindi po kayang pigilan ni COMELEC ‘yung mga gustong mag-file pa rin ng mga kasong disqualification o cancellation of candidacy. Pero as far as the COMELEC is concerned, ang duty po namin ay ministerial sa pagtanggap ng Certificates of Candidacy. Ang ibig sabihin, lahat po ng COC ay tatanggapin namin at hindi para desisyunan kaagad namin… Hihintayin namin na may mag-file ng petisyon, o ang COMELEC mismo ang magfa-file ng motu proprio na disqualification laban sa isang kandidato,” the poll body head said.
On Tuesday, July 21, Article IV, concerning the grave threats allegedly issued by Vice President Sara Duterte against the President’s life, was concluded following National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Atty. Melvin Matibag’s testimony.
Matibag said the bureau has identified persons of interest who may have been ordered to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
