Democracy vs domicile

In every democracy, there is one principle that towers above political personalities, parties and power struggles: the right of citizens to choose their leaders.

- PIA ROCES MORATO

It is the foundation upon which public office is built. Sadly, it is also the first casualty when institutions forget that they exist to serve the people, not to overrule them.

This is why the ongoing case of Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap-Sulit is more than just a local political dispute. It is a test not only of legal interpretation, but of whether our institutions still respect the sanctity of the ballot.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) recently reversed its own Second Division’s earlier dismissal of a disqualification case against Yap-Sulit. The allegation? That she did not meet the one-year residency requirement in Barangay Tibag. The main argument? According to the petitioners, it is because her house “looks like a warehouse” and can therefore be impossible to actually live in.