The Supreme Court on Friday issued a temporary restraining order enjoining the Commission on Elections from dismissing the petitions for registration filed by two party-list groups for the 2022 elections.
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo issued the TRO sought by the Alliance for Resilience, Sustainability and Empowerment (ARISE) and the Igorot Warriors International, Inc. (IWI).
It was learned that a third-party-list group, the Ang Tinig ng Seniors Citizens, Inc., had also asked the SC to nullify the Comelec’s order and resolution against its registration.
But the resolution which also reportedly contained a TRO has not been released by the SC on the senior citizens’ petition.
ARISE challenged Comelec’s order dated last Aug. 11 in Case No. 21-087 and Resolution No. 1075 dated last Dec. 1. The order and the resolution dismissed ARISE’s petition for registration and its motion for reconsideration, respectively.
In the case of IWI, assailed were Comelec’s order issued last Sept. 22 in Case No. 21-137 and the resolution dated last Dec. 1.
In separate resolutions, the SC ordered the Comelec to file its comment within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of the resolutions.
The SC issued the TRO after it found the petitions of ARISE and IWI “were sufficient in form and substance.”
With the TROs, the SC enjoined the Comelec from “enforcing its orders and resolutions.”
Copies of the petitions filed by the three party-list group were not immediately available and, thus, their arguments could not be published.
The Comelec had released the party-list groups which would be allowed to participate in the 2022 elections.
It said that 165 party-list groups, including those with pending resolutions, participated in the raffle last Dec. 10.