The Supreme Court en banc affirmed Susan Areno Yap-Sulit as Tarlac City Mayor on Friday, reversing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution on her certificate of candidacy cancellation.
“The Court respects, and indeed upholds the desire of the electorate, not despite a candidate’s ineligibility, but because, from the evidence presented, there is no such thing as a such ineligibility,” the Court stated in its notice of judgment.
The ruling annulled the Comelec en banc resolution dated Oct. 22, 2025, which canceled Ms. Yap-Sulit’s candidacy and eligibility to run within the mayoral race last 12 months over questions concerning her residency.
The mayor later appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the commission had disregarded substantial evidence of her domicile and longstanding ties to Tarlac City. The Supreme Court issued a establishment ante order on Nov. 4, 2025, allowing the petitioner to proceed performing her duties while the case was being resolved.
On June 3, the Court deemed the evidence against Ms.Yap-Sulit insufficient to prove that she had abandoned her domicile in Tarlac or made a false representation in her certificate of candidacy.
It also noted her three consecutive terms as governor of Tarlac and her deep personal, political, and community ties to the province.
In an announcement, Ms. Yap-Sulit said that she considers the choice a win not just for her administration, but additionally for the individuals who trusted her leadership.
“The journey has been long and difficult, but we never lost faith in our institutions and within the justice of our cause,” she said. “From the start, we maintained that I met the legal qualifications to serve and that the people of Tarlac City had freely expressed their alternative.”
“I’m deeply grateful to the justices for his or her careful and impartial review of the evidence and the law. The people have spoken, the law has prevailed, and our work proceed,” she added.
Ms. Yap-Sulit was elected to represent the 2nd district of Tarlac within the Philippine House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016, and later became the province’s governor for 3 consecutive terms.
She was elected as mayor of Tarlac City in 2025, beating the previous mayor Cristy Angeles’ husband, Victor Angeles. — Almira Louise S. Martinez