This is despite a temporary restraining order that allowed him to be added to the list of official candidates.
On Thursday, January 23, Senatorial aspirant Francis Leo Antonio Marcos personally withdrew his candidacy before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
According to him, his main reason for the withdrawal is to help the government spend millions anew, just to reprint ballots with his name.
He said, “Ang pinaka-main reason ng withdrawal ko is to avoid the government spending another P132 million para lang sa balota ko.”
“Kung hahayaan ko sila na i-shred yung 6 million ballots na na-print na, hindi ako mabuting tao nun. Para saan pa naging good Samaritan tayo,” Marcos, whose real name is Norman Mangusin, added.
The COMELEC previously started printing official ballots for the 2025 midterm polls at the National Printing Office (NPO) on January 6, but was forced to halt following the Supreme Court’s issuance of the first five temporary restraining orders (TROs) on January 14.
That has led to scrapping of 6 million pieces that have been printed, but these will be eventually reused as recycled paper for other purposes.
At the moment, the commission intends to commence printing again the 73 million ballots needed for the upcoming elections no later than Monday, January 27.
A deadline of April 14 has also been set to facilitate delivery to precinct polls around the country before election day on May 12, 2025.