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The Supreme Court reversed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling preventing a member of the indigenous peoples of Zambales, to run for provincial governor in this year’s midterm elections.

In a Supreme Court en-banc session, the Court said the Comelec provincial election supervisor of Zambales committed grave abuse of discretion in refusing to accept the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) of Chito Bulatao Balintay.

The Court noted that under Section 37 of Comelec Resolution No. 11045, incomplete COCs will neither be accepted nor stamped “received,” even if submitted on time.

“The Supreme Court recognized that elections are not conducted under laboratory conditions – the Comelec must be prepared to make quick decisions in response to unforeseen circumstances that could undermine or subvert the will of the voters,” the High Court said.

But the court told the Comelec that it should “reexamine” whether its rules serve the interest of justice and fair play.

“Given these considerations, along with Balintay’s unique circumstances, the Supreme Court found that the Comelec’s strict application of its rules was unjustified, warranting the reversal of its decision,” the decision said.

Record shows that Balintay filed his Certificate of Candidacy on the last day of filing, 25 minutes before closing time. But his COC was incomplete, missing a required fifth copy and documentary stamps. He was advised to complete his documents but it was already three minutes past the 5 p.m. deadline when he returned.

Last January 14, the SC issued a temporary restraining order which prevented the Comelec from enforcing its decision rejecting Balintay’s application.

Following the granting of Balintay’s petition, the SC ordered the Comelec to finally accept his COC and include his name in the official ballots for Zambales governor in the 2025 elections.