The Supreme Court has affirmed the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision recognizing the allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the legitimate leaders of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).
In a ruling promulgated on February 25, 2025, the high court upheld Comelec’s declaration that the party’s 2022 Constitution and By-Laws are the official and controlling documents of the PFP.
The case stemmed from a dispute between two factions: the group led by Leandro Verceles and Antonio Rodriguez Jr., who claimed leadership based on the 2018 Constitution, and the faction led by PFP President Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., Secretary General Thompson Lantion, and General Counsel George Briones, whose terms were recognized under the updated 2022 charter.
The Verceles group argued that Tamayo’s leadership had expired in 2023, citing the two-year term limit under the 2018 Constitution. However, the Tamayo faction maintained that their terms remain valid until 2024, consistent with the provisions of the 2022 By-Laws.
In its decision penned by Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh, the Supreme Court said:
“To conclude, the COMELEC’s findings of fact, based on substantial evidence, are considered final and binding by this Court, especially as the Petition failed to show an arbitrary or whimsical exercise of jurisdiction on the part of the COMELEC.”
The Comelec earlier ruled the elections held by the Verceles group in December 2023 were invalid due to failure to notify key party members, including President Marcos, the party chairman.
The high court stressed that the 2022 Constitution and By-Laws are the prevailing and officially recorded governing documents of the PFP, adding:
“In the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, the presumption of regularity in the conduct of an agency’s official functions applies.”
In January, Marcos declared that “PFP is the strongest party in the country today” during a gathering of party officials led by Tamayo.