Another petition seeking to deny the candidacy of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for presidency was filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The petition was filed by a group of taxpayers led by Dr. Rommel Bautista, who pointed out that Marcos Jr. was convicted for tax evasion in 1995 and that it be enough ground to bar him from holding any public position.
This marks the second petition seeking Marcos Jr.’s disqualification from the presidential race.
“The Supreme Court held that the commission’s act of denying due course to and/or canceling a COC in view of a candidate’s disqualification to run for elective office based on a final conviction is subsumed under its mandate to enforce and administer all laws relating to the conduct of elections,” the group said in its petition.
The group said that under the 1997 National Internal Revenue Code, public officials convicted of tax offenses are barred from voting or holding public office.
Marcos was convicted in 1995 for his failure to file income tax returns and pay income taxes from 1982 to 1985. In 1997, the Court of Appeals removed the seven-year prison term against Marcos but kept the fine imposed on him.
