By Felipe V. Celino
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) junked the petition to cancel the candidacy of losing Tapaz vice mayoralty candidate Ruskin Biñas Falsis by incumbent Vice Mayor Roberto Palomar.
“The Comelec’s 2nd Division denied the petition for a lack of merit,” said Comelec-6 Assistant Regional Director Wil Arceño, who’s concurrently serving as provincial election supervisor.
Palomar alleged that Falsis was unqualified to run for public office due to a lack of residency in Tapaz due to Falsis being a permanent resident of the United States.
According to Arceño, Falsis had demonstrated intention to reestablish residency in Tapaz even before filing the Affidavit of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Residency Status dated October 4, 2024.
Falsis renovated his house and regularly paid property taxes in Tapaz, which the Comelec 2nd Division considered as an “intent to establish domicile in the Philippines.”
In the May 2025 elections, Palomar defeated Falsis by more than 7,000 votes.
