Petitioners who are seeking to cancel the candidacy of presidential race frontrunner Bongbong Marcos have reached the Supreme Court.
A petition filed before the high court is asking for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block the counting of votes cast for him and his proclamation should he win.
RELATED STORY: Marcos Jr camp wasn’t expecting 31M votes: Spokesman
The petitioners also asked the SC the following apart from the issuance of a TRO:
• give due course to the petition;
• grant the relief prayed for by reversing and setting aside the resolution dated May 10, 2022 and the resolution dated January 17, 2022 of the Commission on Elections (Comelec);
• cancel and declare void ab initio the COC for President filed by Marcos and, in the process, declare him to have never been a candidate in the 2022 national elections; and
• make permanent the TRO issued against Congress and enjoin and restrain Congress from canvassing the votes cast for Marcos for president.
“Elections are more than a numbers game. The will of the people as expressed through the ballot cannot cure the vice of ineligibility. The balance must always tilt in favor of upholding and enforcing the law,” petitioners wrote.
“A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from this Court is the only remedy available to enjoin and restrain the Congress of the Philippines from rendering this Petition moot and, in the event this Court rules in favor of the petitioners, allowing a candidacy that should never have been to ripen into a presidency of an ineligible candidate,” they added.
READ ON: ‘Filipinos have spoken’: Marcos camp claims victory in presidential polls
The Commission on Elections has dismissed petitions seeking to cancel or nullify the candidacy of Marcos.
The Marcos camp has yet to address the new petitions filed against Marcos.
Marcos is currently leading the partial and unofficial count with over 31 million votes.
