Party-List Group Faces Disqualification Over Vote-Buying Allegations

The Construction Workers Solidarity (CWS) party-list group is facing potential disqualification from the midterm elections following allegations of vote-buying. Mataasnakahoy Vice Mayor and Batangas gubernatorial candidate Jay Ilagan filed a four-page petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), citing CWS’s first nominee, incumbent party-list Representative Edwin Gadiola, as the central figure.

Ilagan claims that during the Barakofest 2025 event on February 13th in Lipa, Batangas, CWS organized a contest, “The Last to Take Hands Off Challenge,” awarding three brand-new cars as prizes. He argues this constitutes vote-buying, violating election laws prohibiting material inducements to influence voters and breaching a Comelec resolution on the matter. The event, occurring within the 90-day campaign period, forms the basis of Ilagan’s call for an investigation, criminal and administrative charges against CWS, and ultimately, the group’s disqualification. He also urged the Comelec to implement stricter measures to prevent future instances of vote-buying.

Supreme Court Orders Former Senatorial Candidate to Explain Contempt of Court

In a separate development, the Supreme Court (SC) has ordered former senatorial aspirant Francis Leo Marcos (real name Norman Mangusin) to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt. This follows his withdrawal from the 2025 senatorial race despite having been granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) by the SC against his disqualification. SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting stated Marcos has 72 hours to justify his actions, which the court views as potentially bringing its processes into disrepute.

The SC initially issued the TRO on January 21st, allowing Marcos to run after the Comelec declared him a nuisance candidate. However, he withdrew his candidacy two days later, citing a desire to prevent wasted government funds on ballot reprinting and to support Senator Imee Marcos’ reelection bid. Mangusin’s previous attempt to run for senator in 2022 was unsuccessful due to the Comelec’s First Division barring him from office.

Comelec Election Preparations Progressing Despite Legal Challenges

Despite these legal challenges, the Comelec reports that election preparations are on track. Over 45 million official ballots have been printed, representing over 63 percent of the required 72 million. Comelec Chairman George Garcia stated that 45,649,329 ballots had been printed as of February 25th, with 22,570,822 printed by Miru Systems and 23,078,507 by the National Printing Office. The remaining 26,448,091 ballots are expected to be printed by the second week of March. The printing of ballots for the postponed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary election has been suspended, though Garcia confirmed BARMM voters will still participate in the national and local elections. All other election preparations remain on schedule.