TABUK CITY, Kalinga — More than a year after emerging as the top vote-getter in the Tabuk City council race, anti-corruption advocate Atty. Errol Comafay Jr. is finally set to be proclaimed and take his oath of office as Tabuk City's number one councilor, ending a lengthy legal battle over his candidacy.
The development came after the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) issued a Writ of Execution on July 31, directing the creation of a Special City Board of Canvassers (SCBOC) for Tabuk City.
The SCBOC is scheduled to convene at 2:00 p.m. on August 10 at the COMELEC Session Hall in Intramuros, Manila, where it will implement the Supreme Court's final ruling by amending the Certificate of Canvass of Votes and Proclamation for members of the Tabuk City Council.
As part of the proceedings, the board will annul the previous proclamation of the incumbent city councilors, correct the official election results, and proclaim Atty. Comafay as the No. 1 elected city councilor, followed by Lucretina Sarol, Marc Ranier Duguiang, Ivan Yannic Bagayao, Zorayda Mia Wacnang, Juan Thomas Duyan, Eduardo Sacayle, Samuel Suma-al, Abraham Licaycay, and Jayferson Bon-as.
A year-long legal battle
Comafay garnered 43,321 votes in the May 2025 midterm elections, finishing more than 6,000 votes ahead of his closest rival.
Despite receiving the highest number of votes, he was not proclaimed after the COMELEC En Banc disqualified him over alleged material misrepresentation in his Certificate of Candidacy, causing the votes cast in his favor to be treated as stray.
Maintaining that the decision was erroneous, Comafay filed several manifestations, motions, and other pleadings before the Supreme Court shortly after the 2025 elections.
On January 14, 2026, the High Court reversed the COMELEC's ruling, stating that the poll body's decision was based on an "overly literal and narrow interpretation" of what constitutes material misrepresentation.
The ruling became final and executory on June 19, 2026, after the Notice of Judgment and the Entry of Judgment were received and recorded by the COMELEC.
To expedite the implementation of the Supreme Court's decision, Comafay filed urgent motions and manifestations before the Office of the Clerk of the Commission (OCOC) on July 28 and July 30.
On July 31, the COMELEC issued the Writ of Execution directing his proclamation.
With the legal dispute finally resolved, Comafay is now set to officially assume the seat that the electorate awarded him more than a year ago and begin serving the people of Tabuk City as a member of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
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