Comelec cancels Marcy Teodoro COC for congressman in Marikina's 1st district

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) First Division has cancelled the certificate of candidacy of Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro who is looking to run for congressman in the city's first district of in Eleksyon 2025.

The Comelec said Teodoro committed material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy (COC) for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) as regards his residency in Barangay San Roque in the first district. 

The decision stemmed from separate petitions filed by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Katrina Mari Faye Marco, Angelu Estanislao, and Ma. Luisa de Guzman, seeking to cancel Teodoro’s candidacy for  allegedly violating Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC). 

According to the petitioners, Teodoro falsely claimed he is a resident of Barangay San Roque in the 1st District of Marikina as he transferred back from Barangay Tumana in the 2nd District barely one month and 15 days after he filed for transfer on February 28, 2024. 

The mayor also failed to establish a “substantial and verifiable over acts to prove his intention to return and re-establish his residence” in Barangay San Roque. 

The petitioners also accused Teodoro of “deliberately and falsely” certifying he was eligible to run for  the House of Representatives despite lacking the minimum qualification of residence. 

In his counter-affidavit, the Marikina mayor argued he has been living in their ancestral house in Barangay San Roque since April 2024, citing government records, witnesses’ statements, and utility bills as  evidence.

He also said he is not a “newcomer” in Marikina as he was raised and born in Barangay San Roque, fulfilling the minimum qualifications to run for the House of Representatives. 

“We painstakingly perused all the evidence submitted by both parties and found that the evidence of Petitioners outweighs that of the Respondent, revealing and proving their claim that Respondent made a material misrepresentation in his residence qualification, warranting the cancellation of his CoC under Section 78 of the OEC,” the Comelec said in its resolution.

While they recognize that Teodoro is “not a stranger or newcomer” in the 1st District of Markina City, the Comelec First Division said the mayor failed to prove that he had “re-established his residence in his domicile of origin, for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the 2025 NLE”.

The poll body said the “evidence of petitioner outweighs that of the respondent” including the joint counter-affidavits and position papers indicating Teodoro’s address was in Barangay Tumana, the mayor’s changing of address in his driver’s license, and testimonies of the petitioners’ witnesses. 

“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 for the 1s District, Marikina City,” it added.

'Political maneuvering'

For his part, Teodoro said he believes the petition was part of “political maneuvering” and that his camp would file a motion for reconsideration (MR) with the Comelec en banc to revert the resolution.

“We presented a strong evidence that I have my domicile in the area. I’m no stranger in the area. Buhat konsehal ako, mayor ako, ‘yun ang address na ginagamit ko,” Teodoro told GMA News Online.

(We presented a strong evidence that I have my domicile in the area. I’m no stranger in the area. Since I started running for office, I have used that address.)

“We believe na nagkamali ng appreciation ang Division,” he said.

(We believe the Division had a wrong appreciation.)

—NB/RF, GMA Integrated News