PHThe Supreme Court has discarded the long-standing "second placer rule," which previously allowed the candidate who ranked second in an election to assume office if the original winner was disqualified or removed. In a 37-page decision dated April 22, the high court declared that the "second placer rule," established in the 2012 Jalosjos Jr. vs. Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling, lacked legal basis as no law permitted the proclamation of the second-place candidate. Instead, the court asserted that the rule on succession outlined in Republic Act 7160, or the Local Government Code, should be applied. “In fine, the Court hereby abandons the second placer rule and declares that the rules on succession under the LGC shall apply in all cases where a permanent vacancy results from a local elective official’s disqualification from office, regardless of the proceedings involved,” the court said in the decision read.
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