The Commission on Elections on Elections (Comelec) cancelled on Thursday the certificate of candidacy (CoC) of Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro for material misrepresentation. He is seeking a congressional seat in the first district of Marikina City in the 2025 local elections.
The poll body canceled Teodoro’s candidacy bid due to material misrepresentation as he failed to prove his residence in the first district of Marikina.
The Comelec is expected to receive this week the Motion for Reconsideration (MR) of Teodoro to seek the reversion of the decision against him.
Poll chairman George Garcia said he will inhibit from the en banc deliberations once Teodoro files an appeal because the latter was his former client.
The Comelec alleged that Teodoro failed to “re-establish his residence in his domicile of origin, for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the 2025 NLE (National and Local Elections).”
“By declaring in his CoC the contrary, despite knowing fully well that he did not meet the minimum residency requirement, Respondent committed material misrepresentation which this Commission (First Division) cannot countenance,” it said.
“Taking all these circumstances together, We find that the Petitioners were able to discharge their burden of proving that Respondent deliberately committed material misrepresentation in his CoC. Hence, We are constrained to grant these Petitions and order the cancellation of his CoC for the position of Member, House of Representatives,” it added.
Despite the cancellation of Teodoro’s CoC, his name would remain in the ballot while the Comelec en banc is deciding on the case.
“Until there is a final decision by the Comelec en banc and there is a motion for reconsideration, a candidate’s name will still be on the list. It will depend on when the final decision is rendered,” Garcia said.
According to the Comelec, Teodoro’s submitted counter-affidavit and position paper “fully support the claim” that he maintained his legal residence in the 2nd District of Marikina as he used his address in the second district.
“If respondent (Teodoro) intended to abandon his domicile of choice in Brgy. Tumana established his residence back in his original domicile in Brgy. San Roque, he should not have used the Brgy. Tumana address in these documents,” Comelec’s resolution read.
The poll body also did not buy Teodoro’s argument that it was his legal counsel, who was responsible for the error—calling such an excuse as “flimsy at best.”
“Respondent cannot just casually pass the blame to his counsel who, first and foremost, would not have indicated the said address in the pleadings were it not for his representation that he resides therein,” according to the Comelec.
It was also shown in Teodoro’s driver’s license his second district address, which the poll body said “further cemented” his intent to “establish and maintain his legal residence in the second district.”
