Manila: The Supreme Court has upheld the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recognizing the 2022 Constitution and By-laws of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), which sets a three-year term for its national officers.
According to Philippines News Agency, the SC En Banc ruled that Leandro Verceles, Jr. and Antonio Rodriguez Jr. were not validly elected as PFP officers during a meeting held on December 14, 2023. The court affirmed the Comelec's findings that the group led by Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., who were elected in 2021, remain the valid officers of the PFP until 2024.
Tamayo, Thompson Lantion, and George Briones took their oath as PFP President, Secretary General, and General Counsel, respectively, on September 18, 2021. Under the party's 2022 Constitution and By-Laws, their term of office is three years. The Verceles faction argued that officers' terms ended in September 2023, based on the 2018 Constitution and By-Laws, which provided for a two-year term.
They held a meeting on December 14, 2023, where Verceles and Rodriguez were elected as PFP President and Secretary General, respectively. However, the Tamayo faction maintained that their terms were still valid until 2024 under the updated 2022 Constitution and By-laws. They also argued that the December 14 meeting lacked both quorum and proper notice, with only nine members present and no official notice sent. Thus, they asserted that Verceles's and Rodriguez's elections were invalid.
The Verceles group filed a petition with the Comelec to resolve the issue. The Comelec ruled in favor of the Tamayo faction, confirming that the 2022 Constitution and By-laws had replaced the 2018 version and were properly submitted on April 11, 2022, for the national and local elections, with no objections or alternative versions filed.
In upholding the Comelec's ruling, the SC stated that the 2022 Constitution and By-Laws are the official and controlling documents of the PFP. It noted that Verceles and Rodriguez were incumbent officers at the time the 2022 documents were submitted, and they did not object to the submission or question the authority of Tamayo and his group to file them.
The SC also upheld the Comelec's finding that the December 14, 2023, election conducted by the Verceles faction was invalid due to a lack of proper notice, quorum, and authority. 'The meeting was not called by the incumbent Secretary General and did not meet the requirements set by the party's Constitution. As a result, the elections held during that meeting have no legal effect,' the SC said.
