7/24/2019 5. Bagatsing v Comelec
2/10
paragraph 6 shall be disH?aliGed =ro@ 4ontin?ing as a 4andidate
or i= he has been
ele4ted =ro@ holding the oM4e. "ny person Dho is a per@anent
resident o= or an
i@@igrant to a =oreign 4o?ntry shall not be H?aliGed to r?n =or
any ele4ti3e oM4e
?nder this Code ?nless said person has Dai3ed hi Asi4B stat?es
Asi4B as per@anent
resident or i@@igrant o= a =oreign 4o?ntry in a44ordan4e Dith
the residen4e
reH?ire@ent pro3ided =or in the ele4tion laDs ASe4. 2J 7 $CB
A?nders4oringo?rsB.
shoD a probable 4a?se o= 4o@@ission o= ele4tion oOenses Dhi4h
are gro?nds =or
disH?aliG4ation and the e3iden4e in s?pport o= disH?aliG4ation
is strong the City
)oard o= Can3assers o= &anila is hereby dire4ted to 4o@plete
the 4an3assing o=
ele4tion ret?rns o= the City o= &anila b?t to s?spend
pro4la@ation o= respondent
ose 1. "tienza r. sho?ld he obtain the Dinning n?@ber o= 3otes
=or the position o=
City &ayor o= &anila ?ntil s?4h ti@e Dhen the petition
=or disH?aliG4ation against
hi@ shall ha3e been resol3ed.
+he $Ee4?ti3e 'ire4tor o= this Co@@ission is dire4ted to 4a?se
the i@@ediatei@ple@entation o= this (rder.
S( ('$$'.[2%
(n &ay 2 # pri3ate respondent Gled a &otion =or
e4onsideration and so?ght
to set aside the a=ore-H?oted order dire4ting the s?spension o=
his pro4la@ation as
@ayor.
(n ?ne # the C(&$1$C Airst 'i3isionBK handed doDn a
resol?tion granting
the @otion =or re4onsideration ratio4inating th?slyeted as *..
o. 507.[6%
+he instant petition see>s to stri>e doDn as ha3ing been
iss?ed Dith gra3e ab?se o=
dis4retion C(&$1$C irst 'i3ision esol?tion dated ?ne #
dis@issing the
petition =or disH?aliG4ation and re=erring the 4ase to the
C(&$1$CRs 1aD
'epart@ent =or preli@inary in3estigation based on C(&$1$C
esol?tion o. 20J0.
Petitioners 4ontend that esol?tion o. 20J0 had already been
n?lliGed by the
de4ision o= this Co?rt in S?nga 3s. Co@ele4.[7% S?4h being the
4ase petitioners
arg?e that the C(&$1$C sho?ld be 4o@pelled by @anda@?s to
ass?@e F?risdi4tion
and 4ontin?e to hear and de4ide the disH?aliG4ation 4ase.
C(&$1$C esol?tion o. 20J0 adopted on o3e@ber 5 ## readsnoDn
as the $le4toral
e=or@s 1aD o= #7N
QI$$"S opinions o= the @e@bers o= the Co@@ission on @atters o=
pro4ed?re in
dealing Dith 4ases o= this nat?re and the @anner o= disposing o=
the sa@e ha3e not
been ?ni=or@N
QI$$"S in order to a3oid 4onLi4ts o= opinion in the disposition
or disH?aliG4ation
4ases 4onte@plated ?nder Se4tion 6# o= the (@nib?s $le4tion Code
in relation to
Se4tion 6 o= ep. "4t 666 there is a strongly =elt need to lay
doDn a deGnite poli4y
in the disposition o= this spe4iG4 4lass o= disH?aliG4ation
4asesN
(Q +I$$($ on @otion d?ly se4onded the Co@@ission en ban4es a
pri@a =a4ie Gnding o= g?ilt
it shall s?b@it Dith s?4h st?dy the ,n=or@ation =or Gling Dith
the appropriate 4o?rt.
+he abo3e-H?oted resol?tion 4o3ers tDo A2B diOerent aspe4tses a
pri@a =a4ie Gnding o= g?ilt and the
4orresponding in=or@ation has been Gled Dith the appropriate
trial 4o?rt the
4o@plainant @ay Gle a petition =or s?spension o= the
pro4la@ation o= respondentDith the 4o?rt be=ore Dhi4h the 4ri@inal
4ase is pending and that 4o?rt @ay order
the s?spension o= the pro4la@ation i= the e3iden4e o= g?ilt is
strong.[% ,t
appearing that none o= the =oregoing 4ir4?@stan4es obtain herein
as there is no
pri@a =a4ie Gnding o= g?ilt yet a s?spension o= pri3ate
respondents pro4la@ation is
not Darranted. +he @ere penden4y o= a disH?aliG4ation 4ase
against a 4andidate
and a Dinning 4andidate at that does not F?sti=y the s?spension
o= his pro4la@ation
a=ter Dinning in the ele4tion. +o hold otherDise Do?ld ?nd?ly
en4o?rage the Gling o=
baseless and @ali4io?s petitions =or disH?aliG4ation i= only to
eOe4t the s?spension
o= the pro4la@ation o= the Dinning 4andidate not only to his
da@age and preF?di4e
b?t also to the de=eat o= the so3ereign Dill o= the ele4torate
and =or the ?nd?e
beneGt o= ?ndeser3ing third parties.[J%
)e=ore De end De ta>e note that Dhen petitioners Gled the
instant petition on ?ne
2J they had be=ore the C(&$1$C en ban4 a pending @otion
=or
re4onsideration o= the ?ne # resol?tion o= the irst 'i3ision.
+he Co?rt does
not loo> Dith =a3or the pra4ti4e o= see>ing re@edy =ro@
this Co?rt Ditho?t Daiting
=or the resol?tion o= the pending a4tion be=ore the trib?nal
beloD absent
eEtraordinary 4ir4?@stan4es Darranting appropriate a4tion by
this Co?rt. +his
@a>es a short shri=t o= established r?les o= pro4ed?re
intended =or orderly
ad@inistration o= F?sti4e.
+he C(&$1$C Airst 'i3isionB in its ?ne # resol?tion
4orre4tly re=erred
petitionersR 4o@plaint =or disH?aliG4ation to its 1aD 'i3ision
=or appropriate a4tion.
+here being no te@porary restraining order =ro@ this Co?rt that
body as an
instr?@ent o= the C(&$1$C sho?ld ha3e 4ontin?ed Dith its
tas> o= deter@ining
Dhether or not there eEists probable 4a?se to Darrant the
4ri@inal prose4?tion o=
those Dho @ay be liable =or the alleged ele4tion oOenses.
QI$$($ the instant petition is hereby ',S&,SS$'. +he
respondent
Co@@ission on $le4tions is hereby dire4ted to $S(1V$ Dith great
dispat4h the
pending in4ident relati3e to the preli@inary in3estigation being
4ond?4ted by its
1aD 'epart@ent.
S( ('$$'.
'a3ide r. C.. )ellosillo &elo P?no Vit?g &endoza
Panganiban W?is?@bing
P?risi@a )?ena *onzaga-eyes Unares-Santiago and 'e 1eon r. .
4on4?r.
Pardo . no part.
