“Patuloy nating ipinaglalaban ang boto ng mga taga-Tabuk City, Kalinga” – Atty. Comafay, noting there was no counter-argument to his petition

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Attorney Errol Comafay, who was elected as the number one Councilor in Tabuk City during the May 2025 Midterm Elections, continues to fight for the people’s vote at the Supreme Court. The latest development in his case includes the High Court taking note that the private respondent filed no counter-argument to Comafay’s petition.

“Patuloy nating ipinaglalaban ang boto ng mga taga-Tabuk City, Kalinga. Lalo pa nating lakasan ang ating mga panalangin para mas maagang pasyahan ng Supreme Court ang ating apela na maiproklama ang ibinoto ng mas nakakaraming botante ng Tabuk City. May awa ang Diyos. Magtatagumpay tayo,” Comafay said in his post.

On May 12, 2025, Comafay ran for Councilor in Tabuk City, where he garnered 43,321 votes—over 6,000 votes ahead of his closest rival. However, he was not proclaimed by the Commission on Elections due to the COMELEC En Banc’s decision to disqualify his COC.

The disqualification stemmed from a complaint regarding his residency—the same address he had written in his COC when he first ran for City Councilor in 2022, which no one had questioned at that time. The decision to disqualify him was upheld by the COMELEC Tabuk, resulting in the 43,321 votes cast for Comafay being considered stray.

Born and raised in Tabuk—his father a former NIA employee and his mother a pharmacy proprietor in Bulanao—the anti-corruption advocate filed his Manifestation and Motion and other pleadings before the Supreme Court as early as May 2025.

In the latest development, which Comafay shared on his Facebook account on November 28, the Supreme Court En Banc has taken note of his petition, which stated, among others, that private respondent Paquinto Sallaya refused to file any comment on the petition despite receiving the Court’s resolution. Comafay then prayed that the respondent be deemed to have waived his right to file comment and that the petition be resolved with urgency.

In a statement sent to GURU Press Cordillera, Comafay said he has been consistently filing pleadings before the Supreme Court since his non-proclamation, in order to fight for the trust and confidence given to him by the majority of voters in Tabuk City.

“We pray that the Supreme Court will decide our petition the soonest possible time so that the voters of Tabuk will know that their votes matter and that their choice is respected by the government. The voters should be the ones choosing their elected officials, not the Comelec,” Comafay said.