FACT CHECK: Pamplona mayor not disqualified in bid for Negros Oriental district representative

Claim: Pamplona mayor Janice Degamo has been disqualified from running as representative of Negros Oriental’s third district.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The false claim was posted by a Facebook page called “Katawhan sa Dumaguete,” which has 88,000 followers. The post has garnered 133,000 views, 1,000 reactions, and 676 shares as of writing.

“Janice Degamo opisyal na nga gi disqualified og gi cancel sa Comelec ang iyang kandidasiya isip kongresista,” the caption reads.

(Janice Degamo has been officially disqualified and the Comelec canceled her candidacy for congresswoman.)

The video explains that Degamo was disqualified because of her inability to fulfill the one-year residency requirement in the 3rd district, especially because of her current position as mayor of Pamplona located in the 2nd district. In both the caption and the video, the page cites its source as a supposed “Regional News,” but it does not mention any specific media network or organization.

Photos of the supposed disqualification order are included in the video and posted in the comments as proof of the claim. Comelec commissioners Socorro Inting and Antonio Kho signed the order, the video claims.

The facts: While a disqualification case against Degamo was indeed filed earlier in April, the Comelec clarified in a May 11 post that the supposed documents formally disqualifying Degamo are fake. 

“Ayon sa Section 78 ng Omnibus Election Code, ang pagkansela ng COC ay dumadaan sa masusing proseso, may public hearing, at opisyal na ipinalalabas lamang sa pamamagitan ng COMELEC website o media advisory.,” the Comelec said in their post.

(According to Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code, the cancelling of a COC [certificate of candidacy] goes through a thorough process, including a public hearing, and a decision will only be officially released through the Comelec website or a media advisory.)

Degamo also addressed the false claim in a Facebook post, pointing out that the Comelec commissioners who supposedly signed the order were not incumbent commissioners.

“Si Kho karon usa na ka Associate Justice sa Supreme Court — dugay na siyang wala sa Comelec. Si Inting usab, retirado na sa Comelec ug wala nay labot sa bisan unsang desisyon karon,” she said.

(Kho is currently an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and it has been a long time since he left the Comelec. Inting has also retired from the Comelec and has no involvement in any decisions currently being rendered.)

Ongoing disqualification case: The current disqualification case against Degamo stems from the issue of her residency in the province’s third district. Despite being mayor of a second district town, Degamo’s legal counsel said she transferred her voter registration to Siaton in the third district on May 6, 2024, making her qualify for the one-year residency requirement.

Degamo’s camp further claims that she has conjugal property in Siaton and runs a fishing business there.

The position of third district representative was previously held by fugitive Arnie Teves, the alleged mastermind behind the March 4 Pamplona massacre that assassinated Degamo’s husband and then-governor Roel. Janice, outspoken in the quest for justice for her slain husband, filed for the same position during the canceled special polls for Teves’ seat last year and now in the 2025 elections.

One of the Pamplona mayor’s most prominent opponents is Teves’ aunt, also named Janice.

Previous fact checks: The page that posted the false claim is notorious for spreading disinformation against the Sagarbarria camp. Rappler previously debunked the page’s claim that the Sagarbarria family would not give cash aid to Duterte rally attendees.

Rappler has published several election-related fact checks in the run-up to the May 12 elections: 

• FACT CHECK: Leaving blanks on ballot will not lead to vote manipulation
• FACT CHECK: Bayan Muna party-list group has not been disqualified
• FACT CHECK: ‘News reports’ on Bayan Muna disqualification are fabricated
• FACT CHECK: Poll watchers not allowed to take photos of voter receipts   
• FACT CHECK: QR codes in voter receipt don’t show names of candidates voted for 

– Shay Du/Rappler.com

Shay Du is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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