Mabilog can file candidacy for 2025 polls — Comelec

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog can file his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the 2025 midterm elections, even with his voter registration reactivation still pending, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Jonathan Sayno, Comelec-Iloilo City Assistant Officer II, told Daily Guardian on Thursday, Sept. 12, that Mabilog’s application for reactivation will be subject to a hearing as outlined in Republic Act 8189, or the System of Continuing Registration Act.

The Election Registration Board (ERB) in Iloilo City will deliberate on Mabilog’s application on Oct. 14.

The reactivation will take place alongside other applications from delisted voters who applied between July 1 and Sept. 30.

The ERB is composed of the city election officer, local civil registrar, and the city schools superintendent.

Sayno confirmed that while Mabilog’s voter registration hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14, and the COC filing period runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8, Mabilog is still allowed to submit his COC if he intends to run in the midterm elections.

“We will accept it. The filing of his COC before the approval of his registration is permissible because the ERB’s decision is appealable,” Sayno explained.

Mabilog’s application for reactivation does not guarantee approval, as objections could arise. If disapproved, Mabilog may file a petition for inclusion with the appropriate court, which must decide before the election day.

Despite Mabilog’s seven-year exile in the United States, Sayno clarified that his residency in Iloilo City remains intact, as he has neither renounced his residency nor his Filipino citizenship.

Mabilog applied for reactivation via email to Comelec-Iloilo City on Aug. 22, with a video conference appointment scheduled on Aug. 23 for him to take his oath.

Mabilog was delisted from the voter registry for failing to vote in two consecutive elections—the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections and the 2019 midterm elections.

He left the country in 2017 after being linked to illegal drugs by then-President Rodrigo Duterte and returned to the Philippines on Sept. 10, 2024, to address the allegations.