THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday ordered the suspension of the proclamation of 19 candidates if they win in their respective elective bids in yesterday’s polls.
In a press conference, Comelec chairman George Garcia said the 19 bets have pending cases before the poll body.
The poll body has yet to release the names of the candidates as of press time.
Garcia said the suspension is based on the merits of the pending cases that have been filed against the candidates.
“We looked at the decisions of the Divisions as well as the ruling of the en banc. Because of that, we used them as basis of the merits,” he said.
He also explained that they opted to suspend their proclamation so they can retain jurisdiction over the candidates.
“We want to continue to be able to exercise jurisdiction over the matter,” he said.
Garcia said more names could be included in the list in the coming days.
“It is possible that the orders of suspension directed against certain individuals or candidates may increase as we move on with the day,” he added.
