MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has found Francis Leo Marcos guilty of indirect contempt for abusing court processes when he withdrew his senatorial candidacy in the 2025 elections just days after securing a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) from declaring him a nuisance candidate.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, the SC En Banc cited Marcos for indirect contempt and ordered him to pay a PHP 30,000 fine.

Marcos filed his candidacy for senator in the 2025 elections, but the COMELEC declared him a nuisance candidate, citing his lack of political affiliation and platform, and the similarity of his surname to another candidate, Senator Imee Marcos, which could confuse voters.

Marcos challenged the COMELEC ruling before the SC, claiming a violation of his right to due process and equal protection and requested a TRO to prevent his exclusion from the official ballots while the case was pending. The SC granted the TRO, temporarily barring the COMELEC from implementing its decision.

However, two days later, the COMELEC reported that Marcos had withdrawn his candidacy, making his petition moot. The poll body removed his name from the candidates’ database and proceeded with ballot printing.

The SC then required Marcos to explain why he should not be cited for contempt, noting that his actions demonstrated disrespect for the court’s processes. Marcos apologized, saying he withdrew to avoid delaying ballot printing and incurring additional government costs.

The SC rejected his explanation, noting that he should have considered the consequences of filing a petition or immediately withdrawing his candidacy after securing the TRO. Citing Rule 71, Section 3 of the Rules of Court, the SC emphasized that acts disrespecting the judiciary undermine public trust and the authority of the courts:

“Any act of disrespect towards the Judiciary strikes at the heart of its authority and undermines the very foundation of trust upon which our legal system stands… If the people lose confidence in the Court, the last bastion to which they turn for justice and the protection of their rights, they may believe that justice is no longer attainable through lawful means.”

The Court added that allowing individuals to manipulate judicial processes for personal convenience would set a “dangerous precedent of chaos over order.”

Aside from imposing the PHP 30,000 fine, the SC dismissed Marcos’ petition challenging the COMELEC’s nuisance candidate ruling as moot and lifted the TRO previously issued against the poll body.