A group of political detainees, human rights and medical organizations on Tuesday asked the Commission on Elections to cancel former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Certificate of Candidacy for the 2022 presidential elections.
A petition to the Commission on Elections has been filed to cancel former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s certificate of candidacy (COC) for the presidency (Comelec).
The petitioners, who include political detainees as well as human rights and medical organizations opposed to Marcos’ dictatorship, claim that Marcos Jr. is ineligible to run for public office because he was convicted in 1995 for failing to file income tax returns by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
“Marcos’ COC contains multiple false material representations,”
In a statement shared by their lawyer Theodore Te.
Six petitioners from civic groups on Tuesday filed a 50-paged Petition to Cancel or Deny Due Course the COC of Marcos before the Comelec. The petition was filed before the Comelec on Tuesday.
“Specifically, Marcos falsified his Certificate of Candidacy when he claimed that he was eligible to be a candidate for president of the Philippines in the 2022 national elections when in fact he is disqualified from doing so,”
the Civic groups said.
“Marcos is not eligible to run for any public office as he is, plainly, a convicted criminal. Marcos was convicted by the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City in a July 27 1995 Decision for his multiple failures to file income tax returns,”
they added.
They highlighted that the Court of Appeals confirmed Marcos’ conviction and that no longer appealed to the Supreme Court, resulting in a final and unappealable conviction.
The petitioners include Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Kapatid-Families and Friends of Political Prisoners, Medical Action Group Inc., Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, and Balay Rehabilitation Center.
On October 10, Marcos filed his certificate of candidacy for president, marking his family’s 35-year effort to return to Malacañang.
“Having been convicted by final judgment of a violation of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), Marcos is perpetually disqualified from holding any public office, to vote and to participate in any election as mandated under the NIRC,”
the petitioners pointed out.
Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code states that a CoC may be cancelled or denied due course “on the ground that any material representation contained therein as required under Section 74 hereof is false.”
“In the instant case, not only has respondent Marcos Jr. been convicted of a crime by final judgment which carries the penalty of disqualification, his repeated violations of the [National Internal Revenue Code] and his continued evasion/non-payment of taxes renders his conviction as one involving moral turpitude,”
they told the COMELEC.
The petition stated that the offense contains moral turpitude since, among other things, Marcos and his family refuse to pay around P203.8 billion in inheritance taxes, including interest, surcharge, and other penalties, to the Filipino people.