THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed 1,024 cases dating back to the 2010 and 2013 national and local elections against individuals who supposedly overspent during their respective campaigns.
In a 59-page resolution, Comelec said it junked the cases based on the constitutional right to the speedy disposition of cases.
“The Commission resolved to adopt the recommendation of the law department to dismiss 437 overspending cases involving the 2010 national and local elections, and 389 overspending cases involving the 2013 national and local elections,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said in the ruling.
Comelec also dismissed 51 overspending cases from the 2010 elections and 47 from 2013 that were on appeal.
The election body cited a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the need to resolve election cases in a timely manner. The cases can still be appealed to the High Court.
At a livestreamed briefing on Tuesday, Mr. Garcia vowed to fast-track pending election cases in the coming months.
“Expect that when Comelec decides cases, it does so based on the facts as presented and the law as applicable to it,” the Comelec chairman said.
“The decisions stand the test of all scrutiny, even by the Supreme Court.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez