Manila Bulletin
Comelec defends First Division ruling on BBM DQ cases
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) First Division dismissed disqualification cases against presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., ruling that the failure to file an Income Tax Return (ITR) is not a crime of moral turpitude.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez clarified that the division's ruling was taken out of context and did not state that failing to file an ITR is acceptable.
Jimenez explained that the statement was made in the context of differentiating between crimes that are inherently wrong (mala in se) and those wrong only because a law prohibits them (mala prohibitum).
He used jaywalking as an example to illustrate that an act like not filing an ITR might be wrong only because a law, such as the Tax Code, penalizes it.
Retired Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon criticized the ruling, pointing out perceived inconsistencies and questioning how Marcos Jr. could be convicted for tax evasion if not filing an ITR was not considered an offense involving moral turpitude.
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