MANILA777sm, Philippines —  The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has barred former Caloocan City representative Edgar Erice from running again for congressman in next year’s midterm elections.

In a 13-page resolution, the Comelec 2nd Division granted Raymond Salipot’s petition to disqualify Erice as a candidate for the second district of Caloocan City.

The Comelec said Erice clearly violated the Omnibus Election Code, particularly invoking Section 261(z)(11), which bars candidacies of people who peddle lies about the elections, by propagating false information across multiple platforms – a ground for his disqualification as a candidate for member of the House of Representatives.

“The pieces of evidence presented substantially demonstrate that the allegations against the respondent show his well-documented and systematic pattern of making unsubstantiated yet damaging statements,” the Comelec added.

Erice repeatedly characterized the Philippines as a “guinea pig” in the coming elections, asserting that the automated counting machines and system procured by the Comelec from South Korea-based provider Miru Systems have never been utilized in any election worldwide.

The former congressman further claimed that the Comelec’s P18-billion contract with Miru was highly anomalous and the procurement was rigged.

Salipot had previously sought Erice’s disqualification for “deliberately spreading false and alarming reports” to disrupt the electoral process and cause confusion among voters.777sm

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