(UPDATE) THE Supreme Court has dismissed the petition filed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) seeking the disqualification of Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice from seeking reelection during the May 2025 elections. The high tribunal ruled that under the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), the poll body’s authority is to investigate election offenses, while the Regional Trial Courts have the power to decide if an offense was committed. “In this case, the Comelec did not observe the proper legal steps when it directly declared that Erice was guilty and then proceeded to disqualify him,” the Court said. Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul Inting penned the ruling that reversed the order of the Comelec barring Erice from running during the May 2025 polls. The poll body based its decision on an OEC provision that prohibits the spreading of false or alarming information regarding ballot printing, election postponement, or the general conduct of elections. The Comelec said that Erice, during media interviews, claimed that the automated machines from Miru Systems had never been used in elections anywhere in the world. Erice also claimed he had evidence of offshore accounts linked to Comelec Chairman Erwin Garcia and the alleged P18-billion contract between Comelec and Miru. Erice brought the case before the high tribunal, which issued a temporary restraining order on the Comelec’s punitive action. Erice won against then incumbent representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy. Uy was among those implicated in the flood control scam at the Department of Public Works and Highways. Erice said he was doubly elated by the Court’s decision.