The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) ruling disqualifying Matt Erwin V. Florido from running for Representative of Quezon’s Third District in the 2025 polls after finding him liable for vote-buying.

In a decision dated August 12, 2025, the High Court dismissed Florido’s petition for certiorari, saying the COMELEC’s findings were backed by substantial evidence and free from grave abuse of discretion.

The case was initiated by registered voters and residents of Buenavista, Quezon, who accused Florido’s camp of handing out PHP 1,000 bills along with free food, campaign shirts, and transportation during a gathering on April 5 and 6, 2025. The complainants claimed the activity was aimed at soliciting votes in his favor.

Florido denied the charges, insisting the event was intended solely for campaign volunteers and not for the general public. He argued that COMELEC’s ruling was flawed and asked the SC to reverse it.

The Court, however, sided with COMELEC, noting that the gathering was not exclusive to campaign staff and was clearly designed to win voter support. It also pointed to the absence of receipts, logbooks, or other records to substantiate Florido’s claim that the cash and items were legitimate campaign expenses.

The lack of documentation, the SC said, supported the finding that the funds were used to influence voters, constituting vote-buying under the Omnibus Election Code.

The decision further cited Florido’s active role in the event, including delivering a campaign speech and mingling with attendees, as evidence that he knew about and approved of the unlawful activities.

While Florido eventually lost in the 2025 elections, the SC stressed that resolving the case was necessary to put to rest any doubts about the validity of COMELEC’s decision.

The seat is now occupied by re-electionist Rep. Reynante Arogancia.