The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has disqualified Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap-Sulit for failing to meet the one-year residency requirement under the Local Government Code.
In its Oct. 22 en banc ruling, the Comelec reversed an earlier decision that favored Yap-Sulit, finding that she did not establish actual residence in Barangay Tibag, as the property she claimed to live in was “merely a warehouse.”
The poll body declared a permanent vacancy in the mayor’s office, with the vice mayor set to assume the post in line with succession rules.
Yap-Sulit vowed to appeal the decision, insisting she has lived in Tarlac City since 2014 and warning that the ruling “disenfranchises voters” by overturning their democratic choice.
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines–Tarlac Chapter backed her, urging Comelec to respect the will of the electorate.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 29, 2025
