BAGUIO CITY (January 10, 2025) --  The Commission on Elections First Division has denied the petition to cancel the Certificate of Candidacy of incumbent Mt. Province Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. for lack of merit.

In a COMELEC resolution signed by Presiding Commissioner Socorro B. Inting and Commissioners Aimee P. Ferrolino and Ernesto Ferdinand P. Maceda, Jr. December last year but only made available this week, the poll body declared that Lacwasan did not commit material misinterpretation in his COC when he declared he is eligible for re-election in the upcoming May 12, 2025 elections.

A certain Johnny Lausan earlier petitioned the cancellation of Lacwasan’s COC for Governor of Mountain Province for alleged violation of the three-term limit rule.  He claimed that Lacwasan allegedly committed intentional false material representation by misleading the electorate of Mountain Province into believing that he is eligible for another term when in fact, he is fully aware that he served as Provincial Governor for three terms.

Appointed as Acting Governor in 2016, Lacwasan subsequently won two consecutive terms as Provincial Governor in the 2019 and 2022 elections.

But the COMELEC ruled that Lacwasan is not subject to the three-term limit rule since he assumed his position of Vice Governor of Mountain Province in the 2016-2019 term and he subsequently assumed the position of Acting Governor and served in that capacity for the full term. 

The poll body explained that during the 2016-2019 term, Lacwasan was appointed, and thereafter, he served for two consecutive terms as elected Governor.

Moreover, the COMELEC further clarified that Lacwasan did not lose title of the Office of the Vice Governor when he was appointed as Acting Governor in 2016 as he was merely prevented from exercising the functions of his office by reason of his assumption of the post of Governor as provided for and by operation of law, when a permanent vacancy arose due to the untimely death of the proclaimed Governor Leonard Mayaen, who died on March 31, 2016.

COMELEC also cited that the Supreme Court laid down the two requisites for the applicability of the disqualification under the three-term limit (i.e. the official concerned has been elected for three consecutive terms in the same local government post; and the official concerned has fully served three consecutive terms).

 

Lacwasan in reaction vowed to remain steadfast in delivering his mandate despite the actions of some parties, which supporters blamed to “early politicking”